Maharashtra on Thursday became the ninth BJP and NDA-ruled state to announce plans to pass a uniform civil code law.CM Devendra Fadnavis, speaking in the Maharashtra Assembly, announced a committee to draft the UCC law under former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai.Fadnavis said the committee would have three ex-judges from the Supreme Court and the high court, one constitutional expert, one former bureaucrat and two social sector experts.The committee headed by Desai will have the following members: former HC Justice RC Chavan, former HC justice SG Mehere, former chief secretary DK Jain, legal expert Birendra Saraf, social activist Ramesh Patange and educationist Suvarna Rawal.Uttarakhand recently implemented the UCC. Goa has had a uniform law for long.Other BJP states that have announced the UCC plans are Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, UP and Chhattisgarh.The ruling BJP has taken the state route to implement the UCC.Tribals have been kept out of the UCC purview in Uttarakhand.The BJP has chief ministers in 17 states and with the NDA it governs 22 states.