Chandigarh, Nov. 23 -- The Union government is preparing to introduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the upcoming winter session of Parliament - a move that could alter Chandigarh's administrative structure and have vast consequences for Punjab's claim and association with Chandigarh, the state capital.

The development has triggered a political storm in Punjab, with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Opposition Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) alleging that it is an attempt to "snatch Chandigarh from Punjab".

According to the Bill listed in the Rajya Sabha bulletin, the proposal seeks to bring the Union territory of Chandigarh under Article 240 of the Constitution, placing it in the same category as Union ...