Hyderabad: The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Saturday approved an amendment to the Panchayat Raj Act. With this decision, the State formally scrapped the long-standing two-child norm for local body elections.
The Bill amended Section 21 of the Act. As a result, persons with more than two children are now eligible to contest elections. They can seek posts such as sarpanch, MPTC and ZPTC.
The amendment allows candidates with more than two children to contest
Introducing the Bill, Panchayat Raj Minister Seethakka said the change reflected present social realities. She said population trends and development patterns had changed over time.
The Minister said political parties and the public had welcomed the move earlier. She recalled that the government had already issued an ordinance. The Assembly has now given it legal backing.
The amendment removes a major barrier for many aspiring leaders. Several rural candidates had faced disqualification under the earlier rule. Political observers said the impact would be clear in the upcoming local body elections.