What is 131st Amendment Bill which Centre proposed for Chandigarh and why Opposition is against it

New Delhi: The Centre on Monday clarified that it wasn't planning to introduce a Bill to include Chandigarh in Article 240 of the Constitution in the upcoming Winter session of Parliament. However, the dust hasn't settle down on the matter, and the uproar over such a proposal refuses to fade away. The debate rages on.

The government has said it had ‘no intention’ of introducing any Bill to this effect in the Winter session. The clarification came after strong opposition — mainly from political parties in Punjab — following a Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha bulletin which stated that the Centre planned to introduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2025 in the upcoming session starting December 1.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2025, is aimed at including the Union Territory of Chandigarh under Article 240 of the Constitution. The Bill proposed to bring Chandigarh in the same category as other Union Territories which do not have legislatures of their own. In these UTs, the President is given the power to frame regulations for them.

At present, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry are under the gambit of Article 240.

If Chandigarh had been brought under Article 240, the UT would no longer have Punjab Governor as its administrator. The Bill allows city to get an independent administrator, just like the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) in several other UTs. Under the Bill, Chandigarh would no longer come under the Punjab Governor’s authority as it does now and the city may instead get a lieutenant governor to run its administration. It would lessen the control and interference of Punjab over Chandigarh. The President of India will be empowered to frame regulations for Chandigarh, as well as for other Union Territories, under Article 240 of the Constitution.

Chandigarh is currently a Union Territory and is the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana. The Governor of Punjab also functions as Chandigarh’s administrator. The important Acts and laws of Punjab and Haryana also apply to Chandigarh. However, the proposed amendment could have changed this and reduced the influence of both states over the Union Territory. 

The Centre had earlier said that applying Article 240 would help Chandigarh by enabling increased budgetary provisions and stronger central monitoring.

In 2016, there were attempts to entrust the charge of the city to an independent Chandigarh administrator and take away the administrative power of Punjab Governor. However, the Shiromani Akali Dal had protested the move. This time, AAP leader and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann lodged his opposition. He hit out at the Centre, accusing it of trying to "take away” Punjab’s capital.

Taking to X, he wrote: "This amendment is against the interests of Punjab. We will not allow the conspiracy being hatched by the Central Government against Punjab to succeed in any way. Chandigarh, built by razing our Punjab's villages, belongs solely to Punjab. We will not let our right slip away just like that. For this, we will take whatever steps are necessary.”

Congress’s Punjab chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also opposed the proposal. "Chandigarh belongs to Punjab and any attempt to snatch it away will have serious repercussions", he pointed out.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal also joined in attacking the bill and said it was "against the interest of Punjab”.

The stiff opposition from the political parties made the Centre scale back its proposal.