Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma. File Image | Photo credit: Emmanuel Yogini
Ahead of local body elections, the Rajasthan Cabinet on Wednesday (February 25, 2026) approved the removal of legal provisions barring persons with more than two children from contesting elections to Panchayati Raj and urban local bodies. The restrictions have been in place in the state for nearly 30 years.
Also read | The Telangana Assembly has passed a law scrapping the two-child norm for local polls
Two amendments for this purpose will be introduced in the ongoing budget session of the Rajasthan Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel said here after the cabinet meeting. The move reverses a provision introduced in 1995 during the government led by former chief minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
“The two-child norm was originally introduced as a population control measure. It has now lost its relevance as the birth rate has fallen to 2 from 3.6 in 1991-94,” Mr Patel said. The provision has become “obsolete” following the considerable change that has taken place over the years in the socio-political sphere, he added.
Candidates with more than two children will now be allowed to contest panchayat and municipal elections in the state. The Cabinet approved the introduction of bills to amend Section 19 of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 and Section 24 of the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009.
Mr. Patel said that both the motions would be approved in the current assembly session. As a major step in electoral reforms, the scrapping of the two-child norm is likely to have a direct impact on the upcoming panchayat and urban local polls.
The opposition Congress strongly criticized the state cabinet’s decision, saying the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was following the dictates of its ideological fountainhead, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), asking Hindus to have more children. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat recently suggested that Hindu families should consider having at least three children.
Pradesh Congress Committee President Govind Singh Dotasra said that the BJP on one hand is advising a particular community to control population growth and on the other is scrapping the two-child norm. “The BJP government should clarify its stand on whether it supports population control or follows the dictates of the RSS,” he said.
However, several social organizations and public representatives have in the past sought to remove the two-child rule, arguing that this rule is discriminatory and not in line with democratic principles. People’s leaders previously disqualified under this rule will now be allowed to contest elections in villages and townships.
In other decisions, the state cabinet approved the creation of a tax intelligence and economic crimes directorate; establishment of the University of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy at Ajmer; adoption of industrial park promotion policy; and approval of the revised financial model for the proposed Rajasthan Mandapam and Global Capability Center in Jaipur.
Published – 26 Feb 2026 01:00 IST
