The government should hold wide consultations on the proposal of UCC with all stakeholders including political parties and non-political bodies…AAP supports UCC in principle. Article 44 (of the Constitution) also supports it.
Sandeep Pathak, National General Secretary (Organisation) of AAP
Rajya Sabha Maths
The Upper House currently has 237 members and 8 seats are vacant. Two nominated members are also included in the vacant seats. In this case, the majority figure is 119. BJP has 92 MPs. Its ally AIADMK has 1-1 support from four and seven other smaller parties. This number increases to 103. Take the support of one independent MP and five nominated members in this. But still the BJP is 10 members short of the majority mark. However, Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal has indicated that it may support the BJP on any such bill. It has 9 MPs. Still BJP is able to reach the border only. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress party has supported the saffron party on many occasions but it will not support on Uniform Civil Code.
Now understand the factor of AAP
The Aam Aadmi Party has 10 MPs, including three from Delhi and seven from Punjab. The Aam Aadmi Party has taken this stand at a time when several opposition parties, including the Congress, are trying to unite for 2024. From AAP’s indication, it seems that it may support BJP on Uniform Civil Code to reach the majority mark. By the way, both the parties are at loggerheads on the issue of the ordinance of the Center in Delhi. The Congress has not extended support to the Aam Aadmi Party on this issue. In such a situation, Kejriwal’s party has indicated that it will be very difficult for him to join any Congress alliance. In such a situation, the biggest question will be whether AAP will support such a bill, which has been the election agenda of its arch-rival BJP?
The monsoon session of Parliament is about to begin in the third week of July and elections for 10 Rajya Sabha seats are to be held soon. Of these 10 seats, six are in Bengal, three in Gujarat and one in Goa. Of the seats in Bengal, 5 are with the Trinamool Congress and one with the Congress. However, this time the BJP may get its first Rajya Sabha MP from Bengal.
All the three members who have completed their term in Gujarat are from BJP. The vacant seat of Goa Rajya Sabha also belongs to BJP.
Of the eight vacant seats, two are nominated members and four are from Jammu and Kashmir. One seat has become vacant due to the death of BJP’s Hardwar Dubey and one seat is vacant due to the resignation of Luizinho Faleiro.
(With inputs from NDTV’s report)