Rajasthan overturns 30-year two-child limit for local polls, removes leprosy bar

Ahead of the local body polls in the state, the Rajasthan cabinet Wednesday overturned nearly three-decade old rules to allow people with more than two children to contest in panchayat and urban local body elections. Briefing journalists after the cabinet meet, Law Minister Jogaram Patel, along with Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa and Industries Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, said that the cabinet has approved the decision to amend the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, and the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009, to allow individuals with more than two children to contest elections for Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies; the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009, had replaced the Rajasthan Municipalities Act of 1959. Terming the changes as a “revolutionary move”, Patel said that the provisions barred people from contesting in these elections if they had more than two children. He said that “considering the circumstances, the population explosion, and the opinion of economic experts”, back then, population control was necessary for the country. “Hence, there was such a provision for government employees too, that they would not be promoted in case they had more than two children,” Patel said. The government had earlier removed the two-child norm for promotions for government employees. Patel said that the fertility rate between 1991 and 1994 was 3.6, which has now declined to 2. “Consequently, the direct impact of these provisions is diminishing,” he said, adding that there has been “a demand from all corners” to scrap the provisions as there “are eligible and able persons, who have the capabilities to be a public representative and also have the grit, but are ineligible merely because of the two child criteria.” The two-child policy itself had certain rules: such as number of children born out of a single delivery “shall be deemed to be one entity and any child given in adoption shall not be excluded while computing the number of children.” Patel said that additionally, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s decision, the Rajasthan Municipalities Act has been amended to remove “leprosy” as a disqualifying criterion from the Act. “This will provide equal opportunity for all individuals to contest the upcoming municipal elections and ensure the respect of leprosy patients,” he said. The Law Minister said that the government plans to pass the Bills to amend both these Acts in the ongoing budget session itself. Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra, meanwhile, said that “the law was brought during Bhairon Singh Shekhawat’s tenure as Chief Minister, it was a good decision. But this government doesn’t take decisions based on policy or to check population growth. They have to implement the decisions taken by the RSS; Mohan Bhagwat ji and babas decide what laws should be made in the states and in the country.” “On one hand, they target and criticise a community over its population but on the other, they themselves take such a decision to remove the two-child policy and then celebrate it. So I want the government to clarify its policy: are you working on the population control policy or are you following RSS’s orders,” Dotasra said. Hamza Khan is a seasoned Correspondent for The Indian Express, specifically reporting from the diverse and politically dynamic state of Rajasthan. Based in Jaipur, he provides high-authority coverage on the state's governance, legal landscape, and social issues, directly supporting the "Journalism of Courage" ethos of the publication. Expertise Politics & Governance: Comprehensive tracking of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, including policy changes (e.g., the Right to Health Bill and Anti-Mob Lynching Bills), bypoll dynamics, and the shifting power structures between the BJP and Congress. ... Read More