Bill to recognise Amravati as sole capital of Andhra Pradesh to be introduced in Lok Sabha today

The government is set to introduce a bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday to officially recognise Amravati as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh. This move aligns with the long-standing demand of the key NDA ally, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

The proposed legislation aims to prevent any future changes to the decision of making Amravati the capital, reversing the previous government's plan under YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, which had proposed multiple capitals for the state.

WHAT’S THE AMRAVATI BILL ABOUT?

On March 28, the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed a resolution urging the Centre to amend Section 5 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act to officially name Amaravati as the state's capital. The bill seeks to give statutory clarity to this decision.

Naidu, who served as the first chief minister of the bifurcated Andhra Pradesh from 2014 to 2019, had originally declared Amaravati as the capital and invested heavily in its development. However, after the TDP's defeat in the 2019 elections, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took office and announced a plan for three capitals: Visakhapatnam as the administrative capital, Amaravati as the legislative capital, and Kurnool as the judicial capital.

Following Naidu's return to power in 2024, he reaffirmed Amaravati as the sole capital of Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014, which created Telangana, recognised Hyderabad as the common capital for both states for up to ten years but did not specify Andhra Pradesh’s new capital.

The proposed Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill by the NDA government intends to formally establish Amaravati as the sole capital. The TDP, which supports the ruling NDA government with 16 Lok Sabha MPs, has been a key advocate for this change.

The bill clarifies that after the ten-year period during which Hyderabad serves as the joint capital, Telangana will retain Hyderabad as its capital, while Andhra Pradesh will have Amaravati as its new capital. The state government had identified and notified Amaravati as the capital after consultations and planning post-reorganisation.

Once enacted, the amendment will legally recognise Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh effective from June 2, 2024. The bill highlights the administrative, legislative, and infrastructural efforts undertaken to establish Amaravati as the state's capital and responds to the state assembly's resolution seeking this statutory confirmation.