The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Sunday (July 19, 2026) approved the draft Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, proposing a prohibition on practices like polygamy and nikah halala, while introducing strict provisions for live-in relationships. The Bill, however, exempts the State’s large tribal population. The Bill, drafted by a six-member committee and scheduled to be tabled in the Legislative Assembly during the Monsoon Session starting Monday (July 20, 2026), was approved at a special Cabinet meeting in Jagdishpur near Bhopal. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who has stepped up his push for the UCC over the past week, claimed that the proposed law has received support from all religious communities and that over 80% of Muslim women and 40% of Muslim men backed the proposal. Mr. Yadav also slammed the Congress, saying while Opposition parties like the Left and the Aam Aadmi Party attended the consultations on the government’s invitations, the principal Opposition party did not come. “I don’t know what the Congress sees in the Hindu-Muslim votes. They always have a dilemma over one nation, one symbol and one law,” he said, addressing the media after the Cabinet meeting. The draft Bill excludes the Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities to protect their “unique cultural heritage and traditional lifestyle”.“Respecting constitutional safeguards, this law will not apply to Scheduled Tribes (such as Bhil, Gond, Korku, Baiga, Sahariya, and Bharia) covered under Articles 342 and 366 (Clause 25) of the Constitution. Furthermore, communities whose traditional rights are protected under Part XXI of the Constitution have also been specifically exempted,” a government official said