Telangana Assembly passes Bill abolishing two-child norm for local body polls

The Legislative Assembly passed a Bill to overcome the existing law, enacted in 1994, that disqualifies people with more than two children from contesting local body elections.

The Bill supersedes the earlier Ordinance. The new Bill — Telangana Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill 2026 — was moved by Minister for Panchayat Raj Danasari Anasuya Seethakka, who said the time has come to remove the two-child norm given the changes in society and the fall in fertility rate.

After reviewing the two-child policy in light of the long-term future of future generations, the government has taken into consideration the views of representatives from Panchayat Raj institutions, the Minister said.

The Minister said a decline in population growth would lead to undesirable consequences for the State’s future. The new Bill, the Minister said, will not only arrest the declining fertility rate but also give an opportunity for people to contest the local body polls.