Explanation:

The zila parishad is the top tier of the raj panchayat system and represents an entire district. They work directly with the state government, but they are not part of the state government. Members serve for four to five years, depending on the way the district structures their councils. Interestingly, the council members are technically elected by the people, but not through a direct election process. See, it all starts at the village level, where all people age 18 and older vote for their gram panchayat, the village council. The number of seats depends on the population.