NEW DELHI: A bill seeking to recognise Amaravati as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, an initiative aimed at fulfilling a key demand of NDA ally TDP and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
The legislation seeks to prevent any future move to alter the decision of making Amaravati the sole capital, as was done by the previous government led by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai moved the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha, and Speaker Om Birla put it to vote, where it was passed by voice vote.
On March 28, the state legislative assembly had passed a resolution urging the Centre to amend Section 5 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act to incorporate Amaravati as the capital of the state.
As the first Chief Minister of bifurcated Andhra Pradesh between 2014 and 2019, Naidu had announced Amaravati as the capital and invested significantly in its development.
However, after the TDP lost power in the 2019 Assembly elections, Reddy assumed office and proposed a three-capital model — administrative capital at Visakhapatnam, legislative capital at Amaravati, and judicial capital at Kurnool.
After returning to power in 2024, Naidu reiterated that Amaravati would be the sole capital of the state.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, under which Telangana was created, recognises Hyderabad as the capital of the new state, but does not specify a capital for Andhra Pradesh.
The proposed amendment bill seeks to give statutory clarity by formally recognising Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh with effect from June 2, 2024.
The TDP, a key ally of the ruling NDA, supports the Narendra Modi-led government with its 16 MPs in the Lok Sabha.
According to the bill circulated among members, the 2014 Reorganisation Act provided that Hyderabad would serve as the common capital for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for a period not exceeding 10 years, after which it would remain the capital of Telangana, with Andhra Pradesh establishing a new capital.
Following the enactment of the law, the Andhra Pradesh government identified and notified Amaravati as its capital after due consideration and planning.
Once enacted, the amendment will legally recognise Amaravati as the capital, with provisions to amend Section 5(2) of the Reorganisation Act in line with the resolution passed by the state assembly.