Telangana Assembly passes historic bill removing two-child limit for local body elections

The Telangana government has taken a significant step regarding eligibility for local body elections. The state assembly on Saturday unanimously approved the Telangana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which removes the restriction that barred candidates with more than two children from contesting local elections.

The bill was introduced in the assembly by Panchayati Raj Minister Anasuya Seethakka. She explained that the two-child policy was originally implemented in 1994 to address challenges of the time. With rapid population growth in the 1980s and 1990s, issues such as food security, unemployment, and poverty were rising, and limiting candidates to two children was seen as a measure to encourage population control.

However, Seethakka noted, population trends have changed significantly over the past three decades. The current fertility rate in Telangana’s rural areas is 1.7, below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain population stability. The government warned that continued low birth rates could create long-term demographic challenges.

She added that citizens are increasingly having fewer children, and a sharply declining population could lead to unintended social and economic problems in the future. Taking into account feedback from local body representatives, the government felt the amendment was necessary for the benefit of future generations.

The amendment aims to ensure smooth conduct of upcoming local elections while addressing potential population-related concerns. With the new bill in place, candidates with more than two children can now contest positions such as Sarpanch, MPTC, or ZPTC. This move replaces the ordinance previously issued to suspend the two-child rule, making the change permanent through legislation.