Amaravati officially declared as Andhra Pradesh's capital
What's the story
Amaravati has been officially declared the capital of Andhra Pradesh, 12 years after the state was bifurcated. The gazette notification declaring Amaravati as the capital was issued under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Act, 2026 on April 6. The notification will be effective retrospectively from June 2, 2024. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced this development on social media platform X.
Legal endorsement
Resolution passed on March 28, Parliament approved last week
The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution on March 28, 2026, seeking an amendment to Section 5(2) of the Act. The Parliament had approved the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 last week, amending the original Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014, and granting statutory recognition to Amaravati as the state's only capital.
Political criticism
Congress slams delay in declaring Amaravati as capital
The Congress party had earlier criticized the delay in formally declaring Amaravati as the capital, calling it a failure of Parliament and the Centre. They said commitments made were not acted upon in time, leading to prolonged uncertainty. The delay was partly due to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's government's proposal in 2019 for three capitals: Visakhapatnam as the executive capital and Amaravati and Kurnool as judicial capitals.
Capital vision
Proposal for 3 capitals in 2019
Naidu, who was the first CM of bifurcated Andhra Pradesh from 2014-19, had initially proposed Amaravati as the state's capital. However, after losing power in 2019 to Reddy, Reddy proposed a three-capital model. After Naidu returned to power in 2024, he announced that Amaravati would be the sole capital again.