BJP will return to power in Uttar Pradesh, bring in Uniform Civil Code: Amit Shah

Sounding the poll bugle for the 2027 state elections, Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would enact the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttar Pradesh when it returns to power for a third consecutive term.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath receives Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, in Lucknow on Friday. (@myogiadityanath X)Shah asserted that the BJP would form the next government and that the Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav and Congress’s Rahul Gandhi didn’t stand a chance and could keep dreaming about coming to power 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.UCC refers to a common set of laws for personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and succession for all citizens. Constitution’s Article 44, one of the directive principles of state policy, advocates UCC. But respective religion-based civil codes have governed personal matters since independence. Uttarakhand became the first state to pass a UCC law in 2024. Several BJP states including Gujarat, Assam, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have initiated the step to frame the law,“The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is like Angad’s foot. Nobody can move it. The BJP will form the government again. There should be no doubt about it,” he said.“(SP president) Akhilesh babu, mark my words, your party will not form the government in Uttar Pradesh for the next 30 years. The people will not forgive even your third generation, Shah said at the BJP’s state working committee meeting in Lucknow on Wednesday.Shah told party functionaries they needed to work with single-minded dedication to secure the victory, saying no leader could win elections but only workers could do this. “Today itself, dump all your resentments, frustrations, grievances into the Gomti and get down to the task of forming BJP government for the third time in 2027. Keep only one goal in mind — the victory of lotus.”Shah said the state had seen enormous progress during the last 10 years under Yogi Adityanath. “The government has transformed the state for good on the development and law and order front,” he said.The home minister also took potshots at Rahul Gandhi over the party’s successive election defeats, saying the Opposition blamed the umpire after losing.“I challenge Rahul and Akhilesh — BJP is ready to discuss every allegation on vote theft inside Parliament. But they will not discuss,” Shah said, dismissing the allegations against the EC as baseless.In a swipe at Akhilesh Yadav, Shah said the Samajwadi Party last won the state election when his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, was around. “You have not won a single election on your own. The same is true for Rahul baba. UP cannot accept those who fired bullets on Ram bhakts.”The BJP, on the other hand, had expanded into states such as Odisha, Haryana and West Bengal besides returning to Delhi after 30 years.“From Gangotri to Gangasagar we have BJP chief ministers. In Bengal also we have removed Mamata didi,” he said.Shah reached Lucknow on Friday for a crucial organisational meeting amid preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary and deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak welcomed him at the airport.Besides Shah, Adityanath, Chaudhary, and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, several senior BJP leaders, including Vinod Tawde, Smriti Irani, and Jitin Prasada, along with ministers, MPs, and MLAs, attended the meeting.Brajendra K Parashar is a Senior Journalist with the Hindustan Times, based in Lucknow, with nearly three decades of experience covering governance, public policy, politics and development in Uttar Pradesh. Over the years, he has reported extensively on key sectors, including energy and renewable power, mobility and transport, road safety, agriculture and allied sectors and issues related to farmers, rural development, taxation under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and public administration. A seasoned political correspondent, Parashar closely tracks the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and has covered every major election in Uttar Pradesh right from three-tier panchayat elections and urban local body polls to Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. He also reports regularly on the proceedings of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature, bureaucracy, governance, policy decisions and administrative developments with focus on their impact on public life. His reporting is known for its strong analytical approach, extensive use of official data. His areas of interests include investigative journalism, long-form political and policy analysis, data-driven reporting, elections and institutional reforms. Parashar holds a postgraduate degree in Political Science with First Division from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), followed by a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from the same university. His inclination towards journalism began during his student days, when he regularly contributed letters to editors and articles to newspapers and magazines. In the mid-1990S, his essay, “Should India Switch Over to the Presidential Form Of Government?”, published in Politics India magazine edited by noted constitutional expert Subhash C Kashyap, was adjudged the best entry in a national competition. His work has received professional recognition, including the Hindustan Times Journalist of the Month Award for an impactful series on drinking water issues during the 2010 Lok Sabha election campaign. Originally from Kasganj in western Uttar Pradesh, Parashar is currently based in Lucknow where continues to report on politics, governance and public policy.Read MorePawan Dixit, Assistant Editor, brings over 20 years of frontline reporting experience to the newsroom. A specialist on Uttar Pradesh politics and governance, he has reported from the ground across the state’s most consequential stories. He cut his teeth in eastern UP, spending 15 years covering the region. Based in Varanasi, he reported the 2012 UP Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that reshaped the state’s political map. Moving to Lucknow in 2016, he has since led coverage of the 2017 and 2022 UP Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. His reporting tracks the BJP’s strategy, opposition moves, and voter sentiment across all 75 districts. Pawan has been a constant presence in Ayodhya since 2016. He reported the entire arc of the Ram Mandir movement — from the legal fight to the Supreme Court verdict, through temple construction, to the inauguration. He continues to track every development at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On the state beat, he covers the BJP, the Industrial Development Department, and handles key outstation political assignments. He also reports major cases from the district court, Lucknow bench of the High Court, and the State Information Commission. Along with this, he also reports on NGT's important decisions related to UP. Known for sharp sourcing and clear analysis, Pawan connects politics, policy, infrastructure and faith — the forces driving UP today. He has reported developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir movement since 2016. The Supreme Court's Ram Mandir verdict, temple construction and the its opening have been reported by him. He reports all developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir Trust. He covers state BJP, Industrial development department, outstation political assignments, reports special cases from district court, high court and state information commissionRead More