Govt may drop 2-child norm for contesting local body polls

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has indicated that the Telangana government is seriously considering abolishing the two-child norm for contesting local body elections.

Responding to questions during a press conference, Revanth Reddy highlighted that southern states have effectively implemented family planning policies, suggesting they should be commended by the Centre. He noted that neighbouring Andhra Pradesh recently amended its regulations, repealing this policy for urban local body elections due to concerns about low fertility rates.

The norm was initially introduced in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 1994, applying to both urban and rural local body elections. While it was repealed for urban local bodies in Telangana in 2019, it continues to apply to rural local bodies. The State government is now also planning to amend the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, specifically to remove the disqualification clause for candidates with more than two children seeking to contest in panchayat elections.