‘Have two or more children’: BJP ally Chandrababu Naidu sets condition for future election candidates

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu urged people to have at least two or more children to increase the ‘birth rate for the future’. He also said that the AP government is planning to bring a law mandating people only with two or more children to contest in local body elections, reported ANI.

The Telugu Desam Party chief on Saturday said that the state's growth rate should increase, and families should aim to have at least two or more children.

“The growth rate in the state should increase. Everyone should think about this, and families should aim to have at least two or more children. In the past, I advocated for population control, but now we need to increase the birth rate for the future...State Government is planning to bring a law allowing only people with two or more children to contest local body elections,” ANI quoted AP CM Chandrababu Naidu as saying on October 19.

This is not the first time AP CM Chandrababu Naid has called for a similar shift in family planning policies. During his previous tenure as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, he announced an incentive for couples willing to have more kids.

Family planning in South Indian states and risk of losing political influence

Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu's statement received political reactions from different parties. South Indian states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, etc are the torch bearers of family planning and population reduction in the country. However, these states, which played a significant contribution in tackling India's population problem, may end up witnessing a reduction in political representation in Parliament based on the delimitation of constituencies for the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies after 2026.

“First to reach replacement levels of fertility was Kerala in 1988, followed by Tamil Nadu in 1993, Andhra Pradesh in 2001 and Karnataka in 2005. However, there have been concerns voiced for quite some time now that these successes could end up reducing the political representation of these states in Parliament,” Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.

“The country needs a lot of changes, and if Chandrababu Naidu does something like this, I believe this is a good step towards improvement,” said BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Naidu's statement.