Home Ministry denies move to alter Chandigarh's status, says no Bill planned for Winter Session

The Union Home Ministry on Sunday said no decision has been taken on a proposal to bring Chandigarh under Article 240 of the Constitution, stressing that the move-reported widely a day earlier-does not seek to alter the Union Territory’s governance structure or its traditional arrangements with Punjab and Haryana.

"The proposal only to simplify the Central Government’s law-making process for the Union Territory of Chandigarh is still under consideration with the Central Government. No final decision has been taken on this proposal," the ministry said in a statement on X.

It added that the proposal does not aim to change Chandigarh’s administrative framework or the historic balance maintained between the two states. "The proposal in no way seeks to alter Chandigarh's governance or administrative structure, nor does it aim to change the traditional arrangements between Chandigarh and the States of Punjab or Haryana," it said, assuring that a "suitable decision will be taken only after adequate consultations with all stakeholders, keeping in mind the interests of Chandigarh."

The ministry said there was "no need for any concern on this matter" and clarified that the Centre had "no intention of introducing any Bill to this effect in the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament."

The clarification comes a day after it was reported that the Centre planned to introduce the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2025, to include Chandigarh under Article 240—empowering the President to directly make regulations for Union Territories without legislatures. A bulletin of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had listed the Bill among the government's provisional agenda for the Winter Session beginning December 1.

The reported proposal said Chandigarh would be aligned with Union Territories such as Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, and Puducherry (when its Assembly is dissolved). Such an amendment, opposition parties argued, would effectively pave the way for an independent administrator for Chandigarh, reviving an arrangement that existed before 1984.

The political reaction in Punjab was swift. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called the reported move "a grave injustice" and said the BJP government was "conspiring to snatch" Punjab’s capital. "Chandigarh was, is and will always remain an integral part of the state," Mann said.

Chandigarh, created in 1966 as the capital of reorganised Punjab and subsequently shared with Haryana, has long been governed by the Punjab governor as its Administrator. Earlier, it had an independent chief secretary acting as Administrator until 1984, when the arrangement was changed.

In 2016, a move to restore an independent administrator was rolled back after resistance from Punjab’s then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and other parties.