Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement that all 21 NDA-ruled states will have a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) before the next Lok Sabha election should not come as a surprise. What is significant is not the announcement itself, but the route the BJP appears to have chosen. Uttarakhand became the first state to bring a UCC into force.

Gujarat, Assam, and several other BJP-ruled states have taken steps in the same direction. This suggests that the party does not necessarily expect, or even want, a single Central law.

A nationwide UCC through Parliament is easier announced than enacted. If it requires a constitutional amendment, the legislation would have to clear both Houses of Parliament and then secure the required support from state........

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