India, Oct. 31 -- Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the BJP will implement the Uniform Civil Code in Uttar Pradesh if it returns to power, and predicted a long spell in opposition for the Samajwadi Party.

Speaking at the party's state working committee meeting in Lucknow, he said the promise would be kept once the government returns, noting that several states have already adopted the code. "This time, when the government comes to power, UCC will be implemented in Uttar Pradesh," he said, adding that the code is already in force in many states.

Accounts differed slightly on the pledge's wording. One described it as conditional on the BJP-led NDA forming a government for a third time after the 2027 assembly polls; others ...