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Lok Sabha passes bill to name Amaravati AP capital as YSRCP walks out

April 01, 2026 5 min read Polity & Governance GS2 (Polity & Governance Centre-State Relations Federalism)
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What Happened

  • The Lok Sabha on April 1, 2026 passed a bill to amend the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, officially designating Amaravati as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh.
  • The bill amends Sub-Section (2) of Section 5 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 to read "and Amaravati shall be the new capital" in place of the earlier phrase "and there shall be a new capital," thereby giving a statutory name to the capital.
  • The bill was passed by a voice vote; the NDA and Congress supported it, while the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) opposed the bill and walked out.
  • The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly had on March 28, 2026 unanimously passed a resolution urging Central recognition of Amaravati as the permanent capital — a precondition for Parliamentary action.
  • The bill clarifies that "Amaravati" includes the capital city areas notified under the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) Act, 2014.

Static Topic Bridges

Parliamentary Power to Alter State Capitals — Article 3 and the AP Reorganisation Act

The Constitution empowers Parliament — not state legislatures — to reorganise states, alter their boundaries, names, and by extension their seat of government. Article 3 of the Constitution grants Parliament the power to form new states, increase or diminish state areas, and alter the names of states by an ordinary (simple) majority — not a constitutional amendment majority. Critically, a Bill under Article 3 can only be introduced in Parliament on the Presidential recommendation, and the President must first refer it to the concerned state legislature for its views. However, the state legislature's opinion is advisory — Parliament is not constitutionally bound to follow it. The AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 was enacted under this power following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The current amendment to that Act to name Amaravati as capital flows from the same Parliamentary authority.

  • Article 3: Parliament may form/alter states by simple majority (not a special majority under Article 368)
  • Presidential recommendation is mandatory before introducing such a Bill
  • State legislature's views are sought but are not binding on Parliament
  • AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 was the parent legislation; Hyderabad was designated joint capital for up to 10 years
  • Joint capital arrangement with Hyderabad (now in Telangana) was to lapse by June 2024

Connection to this news: The bill is an amendment to the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 passed through Parliament under Article 3 powers — illustrating the Central government's constitutional primacy in matters of state reorganisation and capital designation.

The Three-Capitals Controversy and Judicial Intervention

The Andhra Pradesh capital question has a contentious decade-long history rooted in the 2014 bifurcation. When Andhra Pradesh was carved out of undivided Andhra Pradesh (which retained Hyderabad as Telangana's capital), the residual state needed a new capital. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced Amaravati in 2015, and farmers of Guntur district contributed approximately 33,000 acres through a Land Pooling Scheme. When the YSRCP came to power under Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in 2019, the administration proposed a three-capital model: Amaravati as the legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, and Kurnool as the judicial capital. The Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down provisions of the three-capital legislation, and the Supreme Court became involved. Prolonged legal and political uncertainty stalled development. After Chandrababu Naidu returned to power in June 2024, he announced Amaravati as the sole capital, and the present bill gives that decision a firm statutory basis.

  • AP bifurcated in 2014; Hyderabad became capital of Telangana; residual AP needed a new capital
  • Amaravati announced in 2015 by Naidu; land pooled from farmers via Land Pooling Scheme (~33,000 acres)
  • YSRCP (2019-2024): proposed three capitals — legislative (Amaravati), executive (Visakhapatnam), judicial (Kurnool)
  • AP High Court struck down key provisions of the three-capital legislation
  • TDP returned to power in June 2024; Amaravati declared sole capital; Parliament now gives it statutory recognition

Connection to this news: The Lok Sabha bill ends over a decade of capital uncertainty by embedding Amaravati's status in Central legislation, making any future reversal through state-level action constitutionally untenable without Parliamentary amendment.

Role of State Legislature Resolution vs. Parliamentary Legislation

A recurring constitutional question in the Amaravati dispute is whether the state legislature can change the seat of the state government without Central legislative sanction. The AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 — a Central law — originally left the capital unnamed ("there shall be a new capital"). The state legislature passed laws and resolutions at different points, but courts questioned whether state competence extended to altering a Central law's provisions. The current approach — AP Assembly passing a resolution, followed by Parliament amending the AP Reorganisation Act — reflects the proper constitutional channel. Under Entry 1 of the State List (Seventh Schedule), states control "public order" and land, but the designation of a capital, flowing from a Central reorganisation statute, requires Parliament to act.

  • Seventh Schedule: Entry 1, State List — "Public Order," but capital designation under a Central Act is Parliament's domain
  • AP Assembly resolution of March 28, 2026 was advisory input before Parliamentary passage
  • Parliament amending the Central AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 is the constitutionally correct mechanism
  • Voice vote in Lok Sabha; no constitutional amendment majority needed (ordinary bill)

Connection to this news: The legislative process followed — state resolution → Central bill → Lok Sabha passage — is the constitutionally prescribed path, clarifying that state capitals defined by Central reorganisation statutes can only be formally locked in by Parliament.

Key Facts & Data

  • Bill passed by Lok Sabha: April 1, 2026 (voice vote)
  • Parent Act amended: Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (Section 5, Sub-section 2)
  • Land Pooling Scheme: ~33,000 acres from Guntur district farmers contributed for Amaravati's development
  • AP bifurcation year: 2014; Hyderabad was joint capital for up to 10 years
  • APCRDA Act (Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Act), 2014: provides the planning framework for Amaravati capital region
  • AP Assembly resolution supporting Amaravati as sole capital: March 28, 2026
  • YSRCP walked out in protest; NDA + Congress voted in favour