CM Mohan Yadav Orders UCC Awareness Drive Across MP Districts
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav on Saturday, 13 June 2026, directed all district collectors across the state to launch public awareness campaigns on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), urging citizens to submit their suggestions by 22 June via the state portal ucc.mp.gov.in. The instructions were issued from Bhopal Niwas through a video-conferencing session with collectors.
Context
Posting on X, Dr. Yadav announced: 'समान नागरिक संहिता को लेकर 22 जून तक अपने सुझाव दें' ('Submit your suggestions on the Uniform Civil Code by 22 June'). He outlined that awareness drives would extend beyond urban centres to the village level, with employment assistants (rozgar sahayak), panchayat secretaries, and other local functionaries tasked with encouraging community discussion. Special gram sabha meetings are also to be convened as part of the outreach.
The chief minister specifically called on self-help groups (SHGs), women's organisations (mahila mandals), and social organisations to participate in building awareness. Members of the public have been invited to log suggestions directly on the state's dedicated UCC portal.
Policy Backdrop
Article 44 of the Indian Constitution lists a Uniform Civil Code — common personal laws on marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption applicable to all citizens regardless of religion — as a Directive Principle of State Policy. The Law Commission of India released a consultation paper on UCC reform in 2018, and the BJP's 2024 Lok Sabha election manifesto reiterated the party's commitment to enacting one.
Uttarakhand became the first Indian state to pass a UCC law in February 2024, setting a legislative precedent for other BJP-governed states. Madhya Pradesh's district-level consultation drive follows this sub-national pattern, using grassroots outreach to build a policy foundation before drafting legislation.
Stakeholders and Impact
The awareness campaign targets a wide cross-section of society, with particular emphasis on women through mahila mandals and SHGs — a deliberate signal that gender-equality provisions are central to the UCC's stated objectives. Religious communities, whose personal laws on marriage and inheritance would be directly affected by a UCC, are also key stakeholders in the consultation process.
By routing the outreach through gram sabhas and panchayat-level functionaries, the state government is attempting to gather input from rural Madhya Pradesh — home to a large tribal and agrarian population — alongside urban residents. This bottom-up consultation model is designed to give the eventual draft law a broader democratic mandate.
What's Next
With the public suggestion window closing on 22 June 2026, the state government is expected to collate district-level feedback before moving to draft a formal UCC bill. Observers will watch whether Madhya Pradesh introduces legislation in the state assembly in the months that follow, and whether the national momentum around a central UCC bill in Parliament gathers pace in parallel. The Madhya Pradesh exercise could serve as a template for other BJP-ruled states considering similar consultations.