In a major development that could end years of uncertainty over Andhra Pradesh’s capital, the Central government is preparing to amend the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act to explicitly designate Amaravati as the sole capital of the state.
The move comes after the state government, under the TDP-led coalition, revived the Amaravati capital project which had been stalled during the previous administration.
According to official inputs, the Union Law Ministry has given its approval for the proposed amendments.
The Centre is now preparing to introduce a bill in Parliament to formalise Amaravati’s status, followed by a Gazette notification.
Political analysts say the amendment is unlikely to meet serious resistance, since no major party is expected to oppose codifying the capital question.
If passed, this legislative step will conclusively prevent future governments from altering the state’s capital structure or reviving the contentious “three capitals” proposal.
After bifurcation in 2014, all political parties — including then Leader of Opposition Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy — supported Amaravati as the capital, agreeing that regional disputes should not be reignited.
However, after coming to power in 2019, the YSRCP government introduced the three-capital plan, proposing Amaravati, Visakhapatnam and Kurnool as different administrative centres.
This triggered widespread protests, particularly from Amaravati farmers who had contributed large tracts of land under the land-pooling scheme.
The dispute escalated into prolonged litigation, ultimately stalling all development works in the region.
Farmers who had surrendered land for the capital project have welcomed the Centre’s move, viewing it as long-awaited relief.
Officials say the Central government is also exercising caution regarding foreign funding and development loans, which require clarity on the capital’s permanence.
Once the amendment is enacted, political parties will no longer be able to alter the capital’s location based on political considerations.
Analysts note that while governments can still choose to develop any region they prioritise, they will not be able to change the official capital.
The focus will now shift to how effectively chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu can revive and execute the Amaravati project, which was originally envisioned as a world-class administrative city.
It remains to be seen whether the bill will be passed in the ongoing winter session of the parliament or moved to the next one.
