The proposed amendment seeks to amend the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, which currently allows for a new capital for Andhra Pradesh but does not indicate a specific location. It will change the existing phrase “there shall be a new capital” to “Amaravati shall be the new capital.”
This move comes after a resolution was adopted by the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on March 28, urging the Centre to provide legal recognition for Amaravati. The resolution also suggested including the phrase “at Amaravati” in Section 5(2) of the Act, which previously identified Hyderabad as the joint capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for a maximum of ten years following the bifurcation.
Furthermore, the Assembly proposed that Amaravati be defined to encompass areas notified under the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Act, 2014, in accordance with a High Court ruling dated March 3, 2022.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu stated that Amaravati is the only capital and this decision is final.
The bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 under the same Act led to the formation of Telangana and the residual Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad was designated as the capital of Telangana and served as the joint capital for both states for up to ten years, during which the state was expected to establish its own capital.
The legislation also outlined the distribution of assets, liabilities, and administrative structures between the two states. In 2015, the Andhra Pradesh government identified Amaravati as the location for the new capital.
The debate over the state capital has remained a contentious issue in recent years. Between 2019 and 2024, the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) administration suggested a three-capital plan.
This proposal included Amaravati as the legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, and Kurnool as the judicial capital. The plan faced significant opposition, particularly from farmers in Amaravati who had pooled land for a unified capital.
