Mapping out Andhra Pradesh’s new districts: Polavaram, Markapuram, Madanapalle

Andhra Pradesh is set to undergo another major administrative reorganization, with the state government approving the creation of three new districts - Polavaram, Markapuram, and Madanapalle. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu gave his consent after reviewing the recommendations submitted by a ministerial committee. With these additions, the total number of districts in the state will increase from 26 to 29. The proposal also includes the formation of five new revenue divisions, one new mandal, and the renaming of Penugonda mandal as Vasavi Penugonda. These decisions will shortly be placed before the Cabinet for formal approval, after which official notifications will be issued.

The proposed Polavaram district will be headquartered at Rampa Chodavaram and will comprise the Rampa Chodavaram and Chintoor revenue divisions. The Rampa Chodavaram division will include mandals such as Rampa Chodavaram, Devipatnam, Addateegala, and Maredumilli, while the Chintoor division will consist of Yetapaka, Chintoor, Kunavaram, and Vararamachandrapuram. The district’s population is estimated to be around 3.49 lakh.

Markapuram district will be formed by reorganizing areas from the Yerragondapalem, Markapuram, Kanigiri, and Giddalur Assembly segments. It will include the Markapuram and Kanigiri revenue divisions. Mandals such as Yerragondapalem, Tripurantakam, Podili, and Dornala will fall under the Markapuram division, while Kanigiri, Veligandla, Giddalur, and several others will form the Kanigiri division. The district will have a population of approximately 11.42 lakh.

The new Madanapalle district will be carved out of the Madanapalle, Tamballapalle, Punganur, and Pileru Assembly constituencies. It will be built around the Madanapalle and Pileru revenue divisions. Mandals such as Madanapalle, Tamballapalle, Punganur, and Kurabalakota will come under the Madanapalle division, while the Pileru division will include Sadum, Somala, Gurramkonda, Kalikiri, and others. The district will house a population of nearly 11.05 lakh.

Apart from district formation, several changes have been approved across existing revenue divisions. These include shifting Nandigam mandal to Tekkali division in Srikakulam district, forming the new Nakkapalli division in Anakapalli district, and moving Samarlakota mandal to Peddapuram division in Kakinada district. The government has also decided to merge certain mandals from Ambedkar Konaseema district into the Rajamahendravaram division. Similarly, Addanki constituency will be merged with Prakasam district, along with the creation of a new Addanki revenue division.

Further changes include adjustments across Tirupati, Chittoor, Kadapa, Sri Sathya Sai, and Nandyal districts. For instance, Kaluvayi, Rapur, and Saidapuram from Nellore district will now fall under Tirupati’s Gudur division, while Bangarupalem will be shifted to Chittoor division. A new Pileru revenue division will be formed, and specific mandals from Palamaner division will be merged with the proposed Madanapalle division. The state has also approved reorganisations in Kadapa and Nandyal districts, including the formation of the new Banaganapalle division.

Meanwhile, nine districts - Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram Manyam, Visakhapatnam, Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Palnadu, and Anantapur - will not undergo any changes. All proposals will be presented in the upcoming Cabinet meeting, and once approved, the government will release official notifications marking the reorganization of districts and revenue divisions across Andhra Pradesh.