Story so far: Beating a hasty retreat, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), on Sunday (November 23, 2025), clarified that it has ‘no intention of introducing a Constitutional Amendment Bill to bring Chandigarh under Article 240 of the Constitution’. On November 21, the Centre h,ad listed ten bills including a Bill to put Chandigarh under the Centre’s ambit and ‘ensure uniform treatment as other union territories without legislature’.
The Bill would allow Centre to appoint an independent administrator in Chandigarh, bringing the Union Territory directly under Central control – like other UTs. Currently, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria acts as Chandigarh’s administrator.
The listing of the Bill had created uproar from not only Opposition parties in Punjab like Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), but from Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Punjab unit itself.
Punjab Congress leaders Pratap Singh Bajwa and Manish Tewari asserted that Chandigarh was meant to be Punjab’s capital and any attempts to snatch it away would be an open attack on Punjab’s rights. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal called the Bill a ‘betrayal on all commitments made to Punjab to hand over Chandigarh to it’, while AAP MP Malvinder Kang called upon all Punjab MPs to ‘unite and defeat this Bill in Parliament’. Caught unaware by Delhi, BJP Punjab chief Sunil Jhakar assured that ‘Chandigarh is an integral part of Punjab’ and rushed to meet Amit Shah to ‘resolve the confusion’.
Within two days, the Centre rescinded the Bill and clarified ‘The proposal does not in any way involve altering the governance and administrative arrangements of Chandigarh or the traditional relations of Chandigarh with Punjab or Haryana. An appropriate decision will be taken only after adequate consultation with all stakeholders’.
Amidst the renewed debate over Chandigarh’s status as a Union Territory, here’s a look at the tussle over it
Chandigarh built after Partition
In 1948, the partitioning of Punjab resulted in the state losing its capital – Lahore, to Pakistan. After much debate, the foundation for a new capital located at the foothills of the Shivalik Himalayas, was laid by India’s first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, on April 2, 1952. Designed by a team of European experts led by French architect M. Le Corbusier, the city was one of India’s first to follow modern town planning standards with clear, equal-sized divisions for residential areas with its own market, cinema, library, police and fire service. Linked by main roads, residential areas in Chandigarh fall in different sectors separated from the area housing the Capitol, Town Hall, shopping centre, commercial centre, recreation centre, museums and the University. It was inaugurated by then-President Dr. Rajendra Prasad on October 7, 1953.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the President, performed the opening ceremony of the Punjab New Capital, Chandigarh at an impressive and colourful investiture held on the occasion on October 07, 1953. Photo shows Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the President pressing the button to unveil the gigantic plan of Chandigarh.
| Photo Credit:
PUNJAB PHOTO SERVICE
Chandigarh becomes joint capital
1953-1966: Chandigarh remained Punjab’s capital city and construction of the High Court, the Secretariat and the Assembly buildings was completed. However, with the formation of Haryana in 1966, where Hindi-speaking areas of Hisar, Rohtak, Gurgaon, Karnal, Mahendragarh, Ambala, Jagadhri and Naraingarh were handed over to the new state and Chandigarh was made a Union territory and a joint capital of Punjab and Haryana. The Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJP’s predecessor) opposed the reorganisation of Punjab terming it a “betrayal of public confidence”.
Mrs. Indira Ganrihi. with Sant Fateh Singh, the Akali leader who met the Prime Minister in New Delhi on July 18, 1969
1970: In face of threats of self-immolation by Akali Dal leader Sant Fateh Singh, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi promised to hand over entire Chandigarh to Punjab. In exchange, Haryana will be given the Hindi-speaking area of Fazilka including the famous Abohar market. As this area did not border Haryana, a 6.43 km-long corridor would be constructed to access it, declared Ms. Gandhi. With the help of Centre’s aid, Haryana was to build a new capital and leave Chandigarh by 1975. This award was never implemented and even Punjab urged Centre to reconsider handing over Fazilka to Haryana.
1985: Years later, taking another stab at the Chandigarh issue, then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi signed the Rajiv-Longowal accord on July 25. The 11-point resolution awarded Chandigarh to Punjab and Haryana was to be compensated by the transfer of the Hindi-speaking areas of Punjab. A commission was to be set up to demarcate these areas by December 31, 1985 and the two transfers was to be effected on January 26 next year. It also promised to set up a commission to examine the remaining territorial claims and counter-claims of Punjab and Haryana. Though it was not specified, the future of Abohar and Fazilka. which under Mrs. Gandhi’s award of 1970 were to be included in Haryana, too, would be settled by this commission.
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President of Akali Dal Sant Harchand Singh Longowal exchanging documents after signing a Memorandum of settlement on Punjab issue, in New Delhi on July 24, 1985
This resolution was also never implemented amid Opposition from Haryana and other political parties. The signatory of the accord – Akali Dal chief Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, who had also allowed sharing of rivers Sutlej and Beas’ waters with Haryana, was murdered along with the chief engineer of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal. The river dispute still remains with the project stalled.
Recent incidents
2005: Haryana asserted its claim on Chandigarh demanding a separate High Court for Haryana via a resolution. It urged the Centre to suitably amend the Punjab Reorganisation Act. As of date, no such changes have been made.
2022: MHA notified rules aligning the service conditions of all employees of Chandigarh with the Central Civil Services. About 60% of employees are from Punjab and 40% are from Haryana, in Chandigarh’s civil services. The move was welcomed by the employees as it meant better benefits and salaries.
In response, the Punjab Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to immediately transfer union territory of Chandigarh — the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, to Punjab. Countering it, Haryana passed a resolution to retain its right to the two States’ joint capital territory of Chandigarh. Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation passed a resolution to remain as a Union Territory.
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann speaks during the Punjab Legislative Assembly Session, in Chandigarh, Saturday, June 25, 2022
| Photo Credit:
PTI
2024: Haryana government had offered 12 acres of land in Panchkula in exchange for 10 acres of land near IT Park Road in Chandigarh to construct its new Assembly building. Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change had reportedly granted environmental clearance for the land offered by Haryana.
Outraged, all major parties in Punjab – Congress, BJP and even AAP, opposed the move urging the Punjab Governor to not allow the project, asserting that Chandigarh belonged to Punjab. In February this year, the Chandigarh administration rejected the land swap stating that the property offered by Haryana was not upto the UT’s urban building standards. It claimed that the Panchkula land ‘lacked proper access, had a natural drain (nullah) running through it and was in a low-lying area’ while the IT Road land was a prime property valued at around ₹640 crore.
The Centre’s backtracking of its recent move to resolve the Chandigarh conundrum shows lack of political will to settle it and that the tussle for the joint capital is likely to feature in the 2027 electoral campaign for Punjab.
(With Inputs from The Hindu Archives)
Published – November 29, 2025 07:02 pm IST
