Rift Emerges in Maharashtra Opposition as State passes Anti-Conversion Bill

Satya Tirtharaj Ghosal 

Mumbai: A sudden inconsistency has emerged between the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) led by Uddhav Thackeray and its alliance partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi. The Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill, 2026 was passed in the State Assembly (on March 16, 2026), backed by the ruling Mahayuti alliance. However, the Shiv Sena (UBT), a partner of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), found itself at odds within the opposition camp when it backed the bill. The other two MVA partners, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar), along with the Samajwadi Party and CPI(M), opposed the bill. The sudden shift of Shiv Sena (UBT) has left the opposition in a quandary as the face of MVA.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home Ministry portfolio, introduced the Bill in the Assembly on March 13, stating that the proposed law aims to prevent coercion, inducement, fraud or deceptive religious conversions. He said the law does not target any particular religion and seeks to prevent individuals or organisations from carrying out forced or fraudulent religious conversions.

The bill also states that disputes related to religious conversions, especially in cases linked to inter-faith marriages or concerning a child’s religion, would be resolved by assigning the mother’s original religion (prior to her conversion) to the child. It further empowers the police to take suo motu action in cases of alleged illegal conversions, with provisions for punishment if charges are proven.

However, opposition parties strongly criticised the bill, arguing that several of its provisions infringe upon privacy and personal liberty. They also objected to the clause placing the burden of proof on the accused. The Opposition contends that the bill violates Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of religion. Additionally, the opposition raised the contentious requirement of a 60-day prior notice to the District Magistrate (or designated authority) before conversion, with failure to comply attracting penalties of up to seven years of imprisonment.

While introducing the bill, CM Fadnavis emphasised that Maharashtra was not the first state to enact such legislation, noting that similar laws had already been enacted in 12 states including Odisha, Karnataka, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Arunachal Pradesh.