The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on November 6, 2022, as part of the eleven commitments laid down in its Sankalp Patra for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh state elections, promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state. The national president of the party, JP Nadda made the announcement at the BJP office in Shimla while addressing the media. Nadda said, “BJP not only achieved the goals it promised (earlier), it also went beyond delivering what it hadn’t promised in the last five years”. 

“The first commitment is that the BJP government will bring the UCC here. A committee of experts will be set up and according to their report, the UCC will be implemented in Himachal”, Nadda said. 

Nadda then released a separate manifesto for women, in which the BJP has promised to provide 33% reservation for them in government jobs, three free LPG cylinders to poor women every year, and interest-free loans for women entrepreneurs.

“We also promise 33 percent reservation for women in government jobs and an increase in allocation for girls for marriage from the earlier ₹31,000 to ₹51,000. We will also provide school girls, between classes 6 and 12, bicycles as well as interest-free loans to women entrepreneurs,” the BJP national president said.

“Three free LPG cylinders will be provided per year to poor women. Poor families will be enrolled in Atal Pension Yojana”, Nadda added. 

Nadda further said that if voted back to power, more than 8 lakh jobs will be provided in a phased manner, which would include government jobs and works underway in the economic zone.

“The BJP government will launch a ‘Shakti’ programme under which Rs 12,000 crore will be spent over 10 years to develop infrastructure and transportation around religious places and temples. They’ll be connected to the Himteerth circuit”, Nadda said.

Further, Nadda said that if voted back to power, five new medical colleges will be opened in the state, the ex-gratia payment for martyrs will be increased and a rupees 900 crore corpus will be provided for start-ups in the state under the HIM start-up scheme.

Nadda further added that the BJP government will also survey the Waqf properties in the state to check their illegal use.

Nadda said that the poll promises made by the BJP cannot be called freebies as there is a fine distinction between empowerment and allurement.

“While the BJP is for empowerment of different segments of society, it is against allurements,” Nadda said. He further added that the party had taken a similar view in its response to a letter by the Election Commission of India (ECI), which sought suggestions from all the political parties on the proposal to amend the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and requiring them to furnish details of financial implications of promises made in election manifestos.

Voting for the Himachal Pradesh state assembly will be conducted on November 12.