The 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill has received renewed support from Mizoram BJP leaders, who have called for its early passage to strengthen the state’s three Autonomous District Councils. The demand focuses on the Lai, Mara and Chakma councils, which operate under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The bill seeks to expand the administrative, executive and financial powers of autonomous councils in Mizoram and other northeastern states. However, the proposed legislation has remained pending in Parliament for several years despite repeated demands from council leaders and political organisations.
125th Constitutional Amendment Bill and Mizoram councils
The 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2019. It proposes changes to the Sixth Schedule, which provides a framework for autonomous administration in tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
For Mizoram, the proposed changes are particularly relevant to the Lai Autonomous District Council, Mara Autonomous District Council and Chakma Autonomous District Council. The three councils were created in 1972 after the earlier Pawi-Lakher Regional Council was divided into separate councils.
The councils already exercise limited legislative, executive and judicial powers over specified subjects. The proposed amendments aim to provide stronger institutional and financial mechanisms for local governance.
Why the 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill matters
A key feature of the 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill is the proposal to strengthen financial arrangements for Sixth Schedule councils. The legislation also proposes Village and Municipal Councils in autonomous areas, along with mechanisms for greater devolution of responsibilities.
The bill further seeks a stronger role for Finance Commissions in assessing the financial position of District, Village and Municipal Councils. This could help improve the flow of resources for development and local administration.
For Mizoram’s councils, financial autonomy has remained an important issue. In May 2026, the Chakma Autonomous District Council’s BJP unit sought intervention over a reported salary funding shortfall and argued that inadequate funding was affecting the council’s functioning.
125th Constitutional Amendment Bill faces a long wait
The demand for passage is not new. Leaders of the 10 Sixth Schedule councils across the Northeast met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in July 2024 and submitted a joint memorandum seeking action on their long-pending demands, including the constitutional amendment.
The Union government had indicated that a committee headed by a Minister of State for Home Affairs would examine the concerns raised by the councils. In January 2025, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also said the Centre was working on the constitutional amendment and suggested that there could be progress during the parliamentary Budget Session.
However, the 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill has not yet been enacted. Its continued pendency has kept demands for greater autonomy and financial support alive among Sixth Schedule councils.
Mizoram BJP highlights autonomy concerns
Mizoram BJP leaders have now renewed the call for early passage, placing the issue within the broader debate over the functioning and funding of the state’s autonomous councils.
The BJP has previously backed greater powers for the three councils. In 2021, the party criticised the then Mizoram government over its position on the proposed Sixth Schedule changes and organised protests in the headquarters of the Lai, Mara and Chakma councils.
The party’s latest push comes amid continuing political developments in the councils. In June 2026, the BJP and Zoram People’s Movement formed an alliance in the Chakma Autonomous District Council, illustrating the changing political equations within the council system.
Passage could strengthen local governance
Supporters of the 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill argue that stronger constitutional and financial arrangements could make autonomous councils more effective in delivering development programmes.
Mizoram’s three councils also continue to receive dedicated allocations from the state budget. For 2026-27, the state allocated Rs 275 crore to the Lai council, Rs 243 crore to the Mara council and Rs 170 crore to the Chakma council, according to an analysis of the state budget.
The latest demand from Mizoram BJP leaders therefore adds to a broader Northeast-wide push for reform of Sixth Schedule institutions. The next step will depend on the Centre and Parliament, where the long-pending legislation would need to clear the required constitutional process.
For the Lai, Mara and Chakma councils, early action on the 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill could potentially reshape the financial and administrative framework governing local tribal institutions. Until then, demands for greater autonomy and more predictable resources are likely to remain central to the debate.