Overview
- A Parliament bulletin on November 22 listed a Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to place Chandigarh under Article 240, prompting immediate pushback in Punjab.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs clarified on November 23 that the proposal remains under consideration and that no bill will be introduced in the upcoming Winter Session.
- The ministry said the proposal would not alter Chandigarh’s governance or its traditional arrangements with Punjab and Haryana, and that decisions would follow consultations with stakeholders.
- Punjab parties across AAP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal vowed to resist the move, framing it as an attempt to weaken Punjab’s claim over the shared capital.
- Analyses noted that bringing Chandigarh under Article 240 would empower the President to issue regulations for the UT and is widely viewed as enabling a separate administrator in place of the Punjab governor’s current role.