Amaravati: With Sarpanch elections gaining momentum in Telangana, the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) is preparing to conduct Panchayat elections in the state. In this context, the SEC has begun preparations and held a review meeting with senior officials, chaired by SEC Commissioner Neelam Sahni. Special attention has been drawn to the expiry of terms for Panchayats and municipalities, with municipalities and corporations completing their terms by March, and Sarpanch terms ending in April.
The Andhra Pradesh government has temporarily lifted the ban on the division and reorganization of village Panchayats. Orders issued by Panchayat Raj Department Secretary Shashibhushan Kumar allow restructuring, merging, or reorganizing Panchayats ahead of local elections. These changes will proceed with resolutions passed by Panchayat administrative members and approval from village assemblies, ensuring a legal and orderly process.
According to the new government orders, a Panchayat can now be split into two, villages from one Panchayat can be merged into another, or two Panchayats can be combined. Panchayats can also be integrated with nearby municipal or urban local bodies. Any such changes require formal resolutions by administrative members or, in the absence of such a body, through village assemblies overseen by a Special Officer. Approved resolutions are then forwarded to district collectors and subsequently to the Secretary of the Panchayat Raj Department for government approval. However, mergers across mandal boundaries are not permitted.
The state government has also implemented key Panchayat Raj reforms, including the removal of the cluster system. Previously, 7,244 clusters existed, but now 13,351 village Panchayats will function as independent administrative units. Each Panchayat will manage departments including sanitation, water supply, rural planning, street lighting, engineering, revenue, and taxation. These reforms aim to streamline local governance and improve service delivery, as formalized in recent government orders.