Jaipur, Nov. 10 -- The Rajasthan government has begun the process of repealing the restriction that bars prospective candidates with more than two children from contesting panchayati raj and urban local body elections, a senior official aware of the developments said on Sunday. The Panchayati Raj department has already forwarded drafts of the proposed amendments to the law department for approval, with a similar draft soon to be sent by the department of local self-government, the senior official quoted above said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Once the law department approves the draft, it will be placed before the state cabinet for approval, added the official. An ordinance to that effect was expected to be issued later this month, he said, adding that the government were planning to table the amendment bills during the upcoming assembly budget session. The development was earlier confirmed by self-governance minister of state Jhabar Singh Kharra a week ago, who had cited the prior relaxation in March, 2023, of a similar rule for government employees, adding that "there cannot be two sets of rules for government employees and public representatives." Kharra had said that the proposed amendments to the Rajasthani Panchayati Raj Act and the Rajasthan Municipalities Act were already discussed once in the presence of chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. "The chief minister suggested that opinions from all concerned should be taken before making a decision. Whenever such a demand is raised, the proposal goes through the department and is eventually reviewed at the government level. After due deliberation, a suitable decision will be taken," Kharra added. The existing provision was introduced in 1995 during the Bhairon Singh Shekhawat-led BJP government, which amended both the Panchayati Raj and Municipal Acts to bar candidates with more than two children from contesting elections. The rule applied to anyone who had a third child after November 27, 1995. Under the law, people with more than two children born after that date were ineligible to contest elections for posts such as panch, sarpanch, up-sarpanch, panchayat samiti member, zila parishad member, pradhan, zila pramukh, councillor, chairman, or mayor. The disqualification clause was contained in Section 24 of the Rajasthan Municipalities Act and in the corresponding disqualification provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act. Even if a third child has been given up for adoption, the individual remains disqualified under the law, as adopted children are also counted as part of the family under the provision. The move follows persistent demands from political leaders, social organizations, and local representatives to scrap the outdated provision. Several BJP leaders and civil society groups had submitted representations to the government, arguing that the rule was discriminatory and did not reflect current social and demographic realities....