India’s Assam state has decided to revoke an 89-year-old law allowing underage Muslim marriages, despite objections from minority leaders who believe it is a move to divide voters on religious lines before elections. Assam, with the highest percentage of Muslims in India at 34%, aims to introduce uniform civil laws for various aspects like marriage and inheritance, following the example of Uttarakhand. In India, different religious and cultural communities have their own laws or follow a secular code for such matters. The BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has proposed a Uniform Civil Code that is opposed by Muslims. Assam officially repealed the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, 1935, on February 24th, in an effort to prevent child marriages in the state. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that a Uniform Civil Code would not be implemented immediately. The BJP, a dominant party in Assam and Uttarakhand, considers itself a champion of ethnic communities. Muslim leaders in opposition view the repeal of the colonial-era law as discriminatory and accuse the BJP of attempting to provoke Muslims for political gain. They believe this move could lead to the downfall of the BJP government in Assam.