What Happened
- The Lok Sabha passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, by voice vote on April 1, 2026, giving statutory recognition to Amaravati as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh.
- The Bill amends Section 5 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, replacing the phrase "there shall be a new capital" with "and Amaravati shall be the new capital."
- TDP and BJP supported the bill; YSRCP (the main opposition in Andhra Pradesh) opposed it.
- The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution on March 28, 2026, urging the Union Government to amend the 2014 Act and recognise Amaravati as the state's capital.
- Once enacted, Amaravati will be legally recognised as the capital with retrospective effect from June 2, 2024.
- Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju described the Andhra Pradesh bill as "urgent," citing it as the reason the FCRA Amendment Bill was deferred on the same day.
Static Topic Bridges
Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 and the Capital Question
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 bifurcated the state into Andhra Pradesh (residual) and Telangana. Section 5 of the Act declared Hyderabad as the joint capital of both successor states for a transitional period not exceeding 10 years, and directed the government of Andhra Pradesh to establish a new capital. The Act did not specify the location of the new capital — leaving it to the Andhra Pradesh government to determine.
- Hyderabad remained joint capital until June 2, 2024, when the 10-year period mandated under the 2014 Act expired — Telangana thereafter became the sole user of Hyderabad as its capital.
- The 2014 Act (under the UPA government) did not allocate any funds for building a new capital for Andhra Pradesh — a major grievance of the state.
- N. Chandrababu Naidu (TDP) government (2014–2019) chose Amaravati, located in Guntur district on the Krishna River, as the new capital and launched a land pooling scheme to acquire land from farmers.
- The Amaravati Capital Region covers approximately 217 sq km; nearly 29,000 farmers pooled about 33,000 acres under the APCRDA Act, 2014.
Connection to this news: The 2026 amendment ends a decade-long legal ambiguity — the 2014 Act mandated a new capital but named no location; the amendment now names Amaravati explicitly in the statute.
Amaravati's Troubled Capital Journey: TDP, YSRCP, and Back
Amaravati's capital status has been one of India's most politically contested state-level decisions since bifurcation. Under TDP's Chandrababu Naidu (2014–2019), Amaravati was developed as a greenfield capital with Singapore-based consultants and significant land pooling. When YSRCP's Jaganmohan Reddy won in 2019, he proposed a three-capital model: Visakhapatnam (executive capital), Amaravati (legislative capital), Kurnool (judicial capital). This was legislated but later stayed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court and ultimately abandoned. TDP returned to power in the 2024 state elections; Naidu immediately reversed the three-capital plan and declared Amaravati the sole capital from June 2, 2024.
- Amaravati is located in Guntur district, near the ancient town of Amaravati known for its Buddhist stupa (2nd century BCE).
- The land pooling scheme involved farmers giving land in exchange for developed residential and commercial plots — widely seen as a successful model of participatory urban development.
- The Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2022 had quashed the three-capital legislation, ruling it violated the promises made to farmers who pooled land for the capital.
- The 2024 TDP victory revived Amaravati as the sole capital; the March 2026 Assembly resolution formalised the political consensus seeking Central statutory backing.
Connection to this news: The Central amendment provides legal finality that state-level politics had been unable to deliver — giving statutory permanence to Amaravati's status and protecting farmers who pooled land for the capital project.
Parliamentary Reorganisation of States: Constitutional Provisions
Under Article 3 of the Constitution, Parliament has the power to form new states, increase or diminish the territory of existing states, and alter state boundaries or names. Parliament can also specify state capitals through Central legislation (when the capital arises from a Central reorganisation Act). The 2014 bifurcation was done under Article 3, making the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act a Central law — which is why amending it requires Parliament, not just the state legislature.
- Article 3 requires only a simple majority in Parliament (not a special majority as for constitutional amendments) to reorganise states or change their boundaries.
- A recommendation of the President is required before introducing a bill under Article 3; the bill must be referred to the concerned state legislature for its opinion (though that opinion is not binding).
- The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act has been amended multiple times since 2014, covering issues like revenue sharing, asset division, and institutional allocation between AP and Telangana.
- Andhra Pradesh has sought full statehood benefits (promised in the 2014 Act) including Special Category Status (SCS) — an issue that remains unresolved.
Connection to this news: The amendment demonstrates Parliament's authority to specify capital cities through ordinary legislation when the capital question is embedded in a Central reorganisation statute — a constitutional nuance relevant to exam questions on Article 3 and federalism.
Key Facts & Data
- Bill name: Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026
- Section amended: Section 5 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014
- Passed in Lok Sabha: April 1, 2026, by voice vote
- AP Assembly resolution: March 28, 2026
- Retrospective effect: June 2, 2024 (when 10-year joint capital period with Hyderabad ended)
- Amaravati location: Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, on the Krishna River
- Capital Region area: approximately 217 sq km
- Land pooled: approximately 33,000 acres from ~29,000 farmers
- Three-capital model proposed by: YSRCP (Jaganmohan Reddy government, 2019–2024)
- Three-capital legislation quashed by: Andhra Pradesh High Court (2022)
- TDP returned to power: June 2024 (Chandrababu Naidu as Chief Minister)
- Constitutional basis for reorganisation: Article 3 of the Constitution
- Hyderabad: Joint capital of AP and Telangana until June 2, 2024; thereafter Telangana's sole capital