SHILLONG — Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said the Uniform Civil Code will be introduced in all 21 states governed by the BJP-led NDA before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, putting a firm political timeline on one of the BJP’s long-standing policy commitments.
Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai on Sunday, Shah said several states had already moved ahead with the UCC and expressed confidence that the remaining NDA governments would follow before 2029.
“We have introduced the Uniform Civil Code in several states and I am confident that in the 21 BJP-NDA ruled states, we will introduce the UCC before 2029,” Shah said.
The UCC seeks common rules for personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption, areas where religious personal laws currently govern several communities.
Uttarakhand became the first state to bring the UCC into force in January 2025. Gujarat passed its UCC Bill in March 2026, while Assam cleared its legislation in May, making it the third state after Uttarakhand and Gujarat to pass UCC legislation. The BJP had already included implementation of the UCC among its commitments in its 2024 Lok Sabha election manifesto, making the issue a continuing part of its national political agenda.
Shah said the proposed framework would not cover tribal communities, with their customary laws and traditions to remain protected.
“We will not bring our tribal brothers and sisters under the UCC,” Shah said.
The tribal exemption means the proposed common civil framework would carry specific exclusions rather than applying identically to every community. The scope of those exemptions and their treatment under individual state laws will depend on the legislation brought forward by the respective governments.
Shah’s statement also refers to introduction, rather than automatic implementation, across the 21 NDA-ruled states. The announcement therefore concerns the political timetable for bringing UCC legislation before state legislatures, while the actual passage and enforcement of laws would follow each state’s legislative process.
With Uttarakhand already operating under the code and Gujarat and Assam having passed legislation, Shah’s 2029 target would extend the UCC debate to 18 more NDA-ruled states, each with its own political, legislative and customary-law questions to resolve.
