The Centre has officially notified the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Act, 2026 in the Gazette, formally declaring Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh. The notification follows the assent of Droupadi Murmu to the Amendment Bill, which was passed by Parliament last week.
The Act introduces a key change to Section 5 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 by replacing the phrase “and there shall be a new capital” with “and Amaravati shall be the new capital.” It also clarifies that Amaravati includes areas notified under the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) Act, 2014. According to the gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice, the amendment is deemed to have come into force on June 2, 2024.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu welcomed the development and thanked Narendra Modi for the Centre’s support. In a post on the social media platform X, Naidu expressed gratitude to the Union government, Members of Parliament who supported the Bill, state leaders, and citizens, calling the move a “victory” for the people of Andhra Pradesh, particularly the farmers of Amaravati.
He also thanked President Murmu for granting assent to the legislation, stating that it fulfilled the long-cherished dream of having a permanent capital for the state.
Parliament had given its final approval to the Bill on April 2, with the Rajya Sabha passing it through a voice vote a day after it was cleared by the Lok Sabha. A total of 35 MPs participated in the debate across both Houses, and the Bill received broad support, with the exception of two MPs from the YSR Congress Party, who opposed it citing concerns related to farmers who had contributed land for the capital’s development.
The enactment brings an end to years of uncertainty surrounding Andhra Pradesh’s capital issue following the bifurcation of the erstwhile united state in 2014. It effectively rules out any future attempts to alter the capital’s status or revive the earlier proposal of having three capitals.
The foundation for Amaravati as the capital was laid in 2015 during the tenure of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government. However, after the YSR Congress Party came to power in 2019, development activities in Amaravati were halted and a three-capital model was proposed. Following the return of a TDP-led NDA government in 2024, the decision was taken to continue with Amaravati as the sole capital, and development works were subsequently relaunched.
Also read: Andhra seeks legal status for Amaravati as capital city
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