The Centre has proposed bringing the Union Territory of Chandigarh under the purview of Article 240 of the Constitution. This empowers the President to frame regulations for certain Union territories directly. The move is part of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2025, which the government plans to introduce during the Winter Session of Parliament beginning December 1, according to a bulletin by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

If passed, it would place Chandigarh – joint capital of Punjab and Haryana – in the same constitutional category as Union territories without legislatures, such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, and Puducherry (in periods when its Assembly is dissolved or suspended). 

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This will also allow the appointment of a Lieutenant Governor (LG) for Chandigarh. At Present, the Punjab Governor holds the additional charge as the Administrator of the UT of Chandigarh. 

From November 1, 1966 – following the reorganisation of Punjab – until June 1, 1984, Chandigarh was administered by an independent chief secretary. After 1984, the Union Territory came under the administrative control of the Punjab Governor, and the post of chief secretary was redesignated as Adviser to the Administrator.

In 2016, when the Centre appointed former IAS officer K J Alphons to administer Chandigarh, the then-Parkash Singh Badal government of Punjab opposed the move. Other parties, including Congress and AAP, had opposed the move.  

‘Chandigarh belongs solely to Punjab’

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has opposed the move, stating that it is against the “interests of Punjab”. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), “We strongly oppose in the strongest terms the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill being brought by the Central Government in the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament.”

The CM further said that the BJP is “conspiring to snatch” Punjab’s capital.

“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 rights slip away just like that. For this, we will take whatever steps are necessary,” he added. 

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Former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal called it an attempt to “strip” Punjab of its rights over Chandigarh. 

“The BJP-led central government’s attempt to strip Punjab of its rights over Chandigarh through constitutional amendments is not part of any ordinary step, but a direct assault on Punjab’s identity and constitutional rights. This mindset of tearing apart the federal structure to snatch away Punjabis’ rights is extremely dangerous,” Kejriwal said on X in response to Mann’s post. 

He added, “The Punjab that has always sacrificed for the country’s security, grain, water, and humanity is today being deprived of its own rightful share. This is not merely an administrative decision but akin to wounding the soul of Punjab. History bears witness that Punjabis have never bowed their heads before any dictatorship. Punjab will not bow today either.”

“Chandigarh belongs to Punjab and will remain Punjab’s,” Kejriwal stressed.

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring called the move “totally uncalled for” and warned against “taking away” Chandigarh from Punjab.

“Chandigarh belongs to Punjab and any attempt to snatch it away will have serious repercussions,” he was quoted as saying in a statement. Warring added that the Congress will oppose the Bill in the Parliament, and urged CM Mann to take up the matter with the Centre to “nip the proposal in the bud”. 

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the Bill would be a “betrayal” of the commitments given by the Centre to restore Chandigarh to Punjab and called it an “assault on the rights of Punjab”. 

“It seeks to end Punjab’s claim to Chandigarh as its capital city,” he said. 

About Article 240

Article 240 of the Indian Constitution authorises the President of India to issue regulations “for the peace, progress and good governance” of certain Union territories. These regulations carry the same weight as Acts of Parliament and can amend or repeal existing laws applicable to the UTs. However, once a legislature is created under Article 239A, as in Puducherry, the President’s regulatory powers cease from the date the newly formed Assembly holds its first meeting.