Zilla Parishads in Andhra Pradesh to continue as per old policy after formation of new districts

The Zilla Parishads in Andhra Pradesh to continue with the old policy even after the formation of the new districts in the state. The current ZP chairmen and vice-chairmen will continue in their respective posts as per the old policy till the end of their tenure. The state government on Sunday issued a gazette notification to this effect and issued a notification reorganising the existing 13 districts as 26 districts. However, the notification said that the formation of new districts would not have any effect on the scope and powers of the existing Zilla Praja Parishads as per the Panchayati Raj Act till the end of their tenure.

It is learned that the election of Zilla Parishad chairmen was held in the state on September 25 last year. The term of office of the current Zilla Parishads is till September 24, 2026. According to the notification issued by the government, the rule of the Zilla Parishads will continue based on the old districts till then. ZP CEO offices will continue to be based on the old districts and offices will not be formed exclusively in the newly formed districts. Authorities said they had already decided on the district councils to avoid legal disputes as per the instructions of the Advocate General.

The same procedure was followed when redistricting took place in Telangana. When new districts were formed in Telangana in 2016, less than two and a half years had passed since the election of the Zilla Parishad chairmen. With this, the ZDP chairman elected in 2014 had continued till the end of his full term in 2019. The ZPTC elections in 2019, were held by dividing the district councils based on 33 districts only.