New Delhi

A bill to recognise Amaravati as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, marking a key step towards fulfilling a long-standing demand of the ruling alliance partner TDP and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was moved by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and passed through a voice vote.

The legislation seeks to give statutory backing to Amaravati as the state’s only capital, effectively ruling out any future move to alter this status—reversing the earlier three-capital proposal introduced under former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Naidu, who first proposed Amaravati as the capital after the bifurcation of the state in 2014, had invested significantly in its development during his earlier tenure. However, after coming to power in 2019, Jagan Mohan Reddy had proposed a three-capital model—administrative capital at Visakhapatnam, legislative capital at Amaravati, and judicial capital at Kurnool.

Following the TDP’s return to power in 2024, Naidu reinstated Amaravati as the sole capital.

The bill also follows a resolution passed by the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on March 28, urging the Centre to amend the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act to formally include Amaravati as the capital.

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Once enacted, the amendment will give legal clarity to the capital status of Andhra Pradesh, with effect from June 2, 2024.