Consider the following statements regarding Rajasthan's amendment to local body election laws in March 2026: 1. The amendment removed the two-child norm originally introduced in 1995 under CM Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. 2. The amendment only applies to Panchayati Raj institutions and not to urban local bodies. 3. The amendment also removed disqualification based on leprosy for electoral candidates. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Explanation

Only statements 1 and 3 are correct. The two-child norm was introduced in 1995 under Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. The March 2026 amendments removed this disqualification for candidates in local body elections. The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly amended both the state's Panchayati Raj law and its municipal law, so the change was not confined to Panchayati Raj institutions; it also applied to urban local bodies. Section 24 of the municipal law was amended to remove the provision disqualifying a person with more than 2 children from being elected as, or continuing as, a municipal member. The same reform removed the reference to leprosy from the disease-related definition and thereby ended the leprosy-based disqualification. This was in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and anti-discrimination principles. Therefore, statement 2 is false, while statements 1 and 3 are correct.

Why the other options are wrong

• (A) Option A wrongly includes statement 2, because the amendment covered both Panchayati Raj institutions and municipal bodies, not Panchayati Raj institutions alone.
• (B) Option B omits statement 1, although the removed two-child norm was the 1995 rule introduced under Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
• (D) Option D treats all three statements as correct, but statement 2 is false because urban local bodies were also covered by the municipal law amendment.

Concept

This question tests Rajasthan's local self-government system, electoral disqualifications, and the related legislative amendments. Such questions recur in RAS because state amendments can change who is eligible to contest Panchayati Raj and municipal elections. The topic links statutory eligibility rules with state administration, representation, disability rights, anti-discrimination reforms, and social justice.

Source

• Rajasthan Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, 2026
• https://assembly.rajasthan.gov.in/BillInformationSystem/BillReport/72026.pdf
• https://www.drishtiias.com/state-pcs-current-affairs/rajasthan-scrap-two-child-norm-for-local-body-elections

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