Representative image. Mohammad Azahar, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Why it matters
A Uniform Civil Code would change the rules on marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption for every community in India's most populous state. The pledge makes the code a stated BJP promise for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh election, and the session offer adds to the row over voter rolls before the opposition's 31 October and 1 November events.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Lucknow on 30 October 2026 that a BJP government would bring in a Uniform Civil Code, or UCC in Uttar Pradesh, if the party wins the state’s Assembly election, which is due in 2027. His promise came at the Uttar Pradesh BJP’s state working committee meeting, where he also said the government was ready to call a special session of Parliament on the opposition’s “vote chori” (vote theft) allegations.
A Uniform Civil Code would replace religion-based personal laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption with one set of rules for all citizens. Article 44 of the Constitution, one of the Directive Principles that guide policy but cannot be enforced in court, asks the state to try to secure one.
What Amit Shah said on the UCC in Uttar Pradesh
“This time, when the government comes to power, UCC will be implemented in Uttar Pradesh. UCC has already been implemented in many states,” Shah said, according to The Hindu and Moneycontrol, which carried the same quotes. The meeting was held at the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University auditorium and chaired by state BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his two deputies, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, were present, The Hindu reported.
Shah compared the BJP’s hold on the state to Angad’s foot, a reference to the Ramayana character whose planted foot nobody could move. He told Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav that his party would not form a government in Uttar Pradesh for 30 years. He also referred to 30 October 1990, the day police fired on kar sevaks (volunteers) in Ayodhya, and contrasted it with the building of the Ram temple.
Scroll, citing the news agency ANI, reported that Akhilesh Yadav responded by saying a Uniform Civil Code was “not worth implementing”. The reports read by NewsPlainly did not carry a Congress response to the UCC pledge.
Amit Shah’s special session offer on “vote chori”
On the opposition’s allegations about the voter rolls, Shah used a cricket comparison: a team that loses a match and then blames the umpire. “I am ready to call a special session of Parliament to discuss vote chori. But Rahul baba will never agree,” he said, according to Hindustan Times, adding that Rahul Gandhi would rather “create a nuisance on the street”. Hindustan Times also quoted him as calling the allegations against the Election Commission baseless.
The offer came a day before the opposition INDIA bloc’s planned “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, now set for 31 October after rain forced a postponement, and two days before an opposition rally at Delhi’s Ramlila ground on 1 November. NewsPlainly covered the postponement of the CEC event earlier on 30 October. The opposition alleges that the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls is a clean-up drive meant to help the BJP, Hindustan Times reported; the BJP rejects the charge and says the commission works independently, according to Ommcom News.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X on 30 October reported by Ommcom News, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah of undermining Parliament by pushing bills through without debate. He cited December 2023, when a bill that he said gave the Chief Election Commissioner life-long immunity passed while 145 opposition MPs were suspended. His post was about a BJP-linked mock Parliament held in Delhi that day, not Shah’s offer; the reports read carried no direct Congress reply to the special session offer.
Who said what on 30 October
| Who | What they said | Reported by |
|---|---|---|
| Amit Shah, BJP | UCC will be brought in UP if BJP returns to power | The Hindu, Moneycontrol |
| Amit Shah, BJP | Ready for a special session on “vote chori”; allegations against the Election Commission baseless | Hindustan Times (session offer also India Today) |
| Akhilesh Yadav, SP | UCC “not worth implementing” | Scroll, citing ANI |
| Jairam Ramesh, Congress | BJP has undermined Parliament since 2014 (on the mock Parliament) | Ommcom News |
Where the uniform civil code stands outside Uttar Pradesh
Shah said the code was already in place in “many states”. Scroll’s summary on 30 October described Uttarakhand as the first state to bring one into force after Independence and listed others at earlier stages.
| State | Status, as reported by Scroll |
|---|---|
| Uttarakhand | In force since January 2025, the first state after Independence |
| Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh | Law passed; awaiting the President’s assent |
| Assam | Bill passed on 27 May; awaiting assent; 8-member committee formed to draft rules (PTI, 30 October) |
| Rajasthan | Cabinet approved a bill in August |
| Maharashtra, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh | Committees set up to draft proposals |
Counting the states in that list, NewsPlainly finds one with a code in force, three with laws passed but awaiting assent, one with a cabinet-approved bill and three with drafting committees. Scroll also reported that Shah said in September that BJP and allied governments in 21 states would bring in a UCC before the 2029 Lok Sabha election.
What a special session would involve
Parliament’s Monsoon session ended on 13 August and was adjourned without being formally closed, India Today reported, citing unnamed sources. Amit Shah’s remarks did not give a date or say what form a discussion would take, and the reports read did not say whether the government has taken any formal step towards a session. For a UCC in Uttar Pradesh, the next marker is the 2027 Assembly election itself; India Today put it about six months away.
Frequently asked questions
What did Amit Shah say about UCC in Uttar Pradesh?
On 30 October 2026 in Lucknow he said that when the BJP returns to power, a Uniform Civil Code will be brought in in Uttar Pradesh, adding that it was already in place in many states.
Which states have a Uniform Civil Code?
According to Scroll, Uttarakhand became the first state to bring one into force after Independence, in January 2025. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Assam have passed laws awaiting the President's assent, and Rajasthan's cabinet approved a bill in August.
Will there be a special session of Parliament on vote chori?
Shah said the government was ready to call one, but gave no date. The reports read did not mention any formal step towards a session.
How did the opposition respond?
Akhilesh Yadav said a UCC was not worth implementing, Scroll reported, citing ANI. The reports read did not carry a Congress reply to the UCC pledge or the session offer.