Amaravati's journey as Andhra's proposed capital began under Naidu's previous TDP regime (2014-2019), envisioned as a world-class smart city.
Published Jan 08, 2026 | 11:06 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 08, 2026 | 11:06 AM
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Synopsis: Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to amend the Reorganisation Act, granting Amaravati statutory capital status. The move seeks permanence against future reversals, ending the three-capitals debate. Politically reinforcing TDP’s base, it risks regional alienation, while economically promising global funding and growth. Success could cement Naidu’s legacy; failure may reignite disputes.
In a move to preclude the possibility of shifting Andhra Pradesh capital from Amaravati to elsewhere in future, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday, 7 January, urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure introducing a bill in Parliament for granting statutory protection to the greenfield city.
Naidu, who met Shah at New Delhi, specifically requested amendment to the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Act, 2014, to formalise Amaravati’s status as Andhra’s capital in the upcoming parliamentary session.
As Andhra marks two years under TDP rule by mid-2026, Amaravati’s fate will test Naidu’s vision. If enacted, the amendment could cement his legacy and if it fails, debates over equitable development might reignite.
Naidu, leveraging its support to the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, made a strong push for statutory protection to Amaravati, in the wake of the works having been stalled under the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy dispensation between 2019-2024. Shah is understood to have reacted positively to Naidu’s request.
Amaravati’s journey as Andhra’s proposed capital began under Naidu’s previous TDP regime (2014-2019), envisioned as a world-class smart city in 30,000 acres of farmland pooled from local farmers. However, the project stalled after YSRCP swept to power in 2019 and proposed a “three-capitals” model—decentralising functions to Visakhapatnam (executive), Amaravati (legislative), and Kurnool (judicial).
This shift sparked massive protests from 2019 to 2024, involving over 29,000 farmers and lasting 1,631 days, until Naidu’s return ended the agitation. The Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2022 ruled in favour of Amaravati as the sole capital, but legal and political hurdles persisted until the TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance’s landslide victory in June 2024.
The Reorganisation Act currently designates Hyderabad as a common capital until 2024, after which Andhra must establish its own. Naidu’s push for amendments aims to retroactively recognise Amaravati from June 2, 2024— the day the common capital arrangement expired — ensuring permanence against potential future governments’ policy reversals.
Within months of assuming office, the TDP-led government filed an affidavit in the Andhra Pradesh High Court reaffirming Amaravati as the state’s capital, effectively scrapping the three-capitals plan.
Naidu accorded priority to resuming stalled projects, allocating fresh funding for core infrastructure like roads, bridges, and government buildings. Notable progress includes the 1.5 km Seed Access Road opening and ongoing work on the Amaravati Seed Capital Road (E3). These efforts aim to enhance connectivity with Vijayawada, positioning Amaravati as a hub for mobility.
Naidu’s Delhi visits intensified, including meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in August 2024, where he sought Rs 15,000 crore for Amaravati’s development and resolution of pending Reorganisation Act issues.
By May 2025, he directly urged Shah to amend the Act and declare Amaravati the capital, emphasising aerospace projects and electronics manufacturing in regions like Lepakshi-Orvakal. In October 2024, another trip focused on funds for Amaravati alongside Visakhapatnam Railway Zone and steel plant initiatives.
The year 2025 saw Amaravati’s revival intertwined with Andhra’s ambitious, trillion-dollar economy vision, securing investments and advancing projects like the Bhogapuram International Airport. By November 2025, discussions with Shah hinted at a parliamentary bill, with the Home Ministry approving a draft under legal review.
Naidu’s 7 January appeal is being seen as a strategic bulwark against Andhra’s fractured political history. By seeking statutory status, TDP aims to insulate Amaravati from electoral volatility, ensuring no future regime can dismantle it without parliamentary repeal.
This could neutralise YSRCP’s lingering “three-capitals” narrative, especially in regions like North Andhra, where Visakhapatnam’s executive capital ambitions persist.
Politically, this move reinforces TDP’s Kamma-dominated base in the Krishna-Guntur belt but risks alienating coastal districts favouring decentralisation. Economically, statutory backing may unlock international funding, accelerating Andhra’s growth trajectory, but failure might expose TDP to accusations of over-reliance on the Centre.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
