Each proposed district will serve a distinct administrative purpose. A Cabinet sub-committee formed in July to look into the matter will present its report to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on 28 October. A Cabinet decision is expected on 7 November.
Published Oct 27, 2025 | 6:05 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 27, 2025 | 6:05 PM
A key recommendation involves creating a new Agency district with Rampachodavaram as its headquarters.
Synopsis: The Andhra Pradesh government is set to approve the creation of six new districts—Palasa, Amaravati, Markapuram, Gudur, Madanapalle and Rajampet—as part of a major administrative overhaul that will expand the state’s total districts from 26 to 32. The reorganisation aims to make governance more efficient, address long-standing local demands and deliver on a key 2024 election pledge. A Cabinet decision is expected on 7 November.
The Andhra Pradesh government is preparing for a sweeping administrative reorganisation by proposing six new districts, which would increase the total from 26 to 32.
The ruling Telugu Desam Party-led National Democratic Alliance under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu hopes the initiative will make governance more accessible and fulfil a key promise from the 2024 election campaign.
The proposed districts—Palasa, Amaravati, Markapuram, Gudur, Madanapalle and Rajampet—are part of a broader plan to redraw district, revenue division and mandal boundaries, sources told South First.
A Cabinet sub-committee formed in July 2025 to address persistent demands from MLAs, MPs and civic groups is finalising its recommendations. A Cabinet decision is expected on Friday, 7 November.
After the 2014 bifurcation, the truncated Andhra Pradesh was left with only 13 districts. The previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government tripled that number to 26 in 2022.
After returning to power in June 2024, Naidu promised to clean up the clutter, citing citizen petitions and logistical difficulties.
Though Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad initially downplayed expansion plans, mounting public pressure led the chief minister to form a seven-member Group of Ministers (GoM) to resolve boundary disputes and propose reforms.
The GoM—comprising Ministers Anagani Satya Prasad, P Narayana, Vangalapudi Anitha, Nadendla Manohar, BC Janardhan Reddy, N Rama Naidu and Satyakumar Yadav—held its first meeting in August at the Secretariat. The members later visited the 13 erstwhile district headquarters, gathering nearly 200 representations from citizens, officials and organisations.
These included requests to shift village alignments, such as moving Madicherla village in Krishna district to Nuzvid or Musunuru mandal, and to designate new mandal centres like Murapaka in Srikakulam.
Several petitions also sought to rename districts—suggesting Gurram Jashuva for Guntur or Palnadu, and Duggirala Gopalakrishnaiah for Bapatla—besides relocating Bapatla’s headquarters to Chirala.
Each proposed district is designed to serve a distinct purpose. Palasa would strengthen administrative oversight in Srikakulam’s northern coastal belt. Amaravati would finally have its own district – a capital in both name and function, centred around the nearly completed Secretariat and Assembly complex.
Markapuram would bring together Prakasam’s scattered constituencies, including Kanigiri, Giddalur, Yerragondapalem, Darsi and Markapur. Gudur would anchor Nellore’s southern region, while Madanapalle and Rajampet are expected to ease administrative congestion in Chittoor and YSR Kadapa.
A key recommendation involves creating a new Agency district with Rampachodavaram as its headquarters. The government also plans ten new revenue divisions, including Addanki and Madakasira, supplementing the 22 formed in 2022. The aim is to end the anomaly of single Assembly constituencies being split across multiple divisions – a bureaucratic tangle that slowed decisions and service delivery.
Sources said the GoM has also proposed dividing oversized mandals such as Adoni, which now has a population of 1.5 lakh, and redrawing others like Mandapeta, Kothapeta and S Kota for better coordination. Another proposal—to reintegrate Kandukur and Addanki into Prakasam district, with Ongole as its headquarters—has sparked debate, especially with the development of Ramayapatnam Port possibly influencing Kandukur’s retention in Nellore.
After reviewing inputs from district collectors and the public, the sub-committee will meet Chief Minister Naidu on the morning of Tuesday, 28 October to finalise its report. The Cabinet will examine it on Friday, 7 November, followed by a brief window for objections before the final gazette notification is issued.
A senior official said, “We are redrawing lines on the map to take the government’s service to people’s doorsteps.” The GoM’s outreach to tribal belts underlined that inclusivity remains a key part of the exercise.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
