Jagan Reddy Questions "One Capital" Push As Centre Tables Amaravati Bill

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, aiming to officially declare Amaravati as the sole capital of the State.

According to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's Office, this move will provide statutory clarity to the capital status, aligning with the vision of the TDP-led NDA government.

The Bill aims to amend the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, adding the phrase, "Amaravati shall be the new capital."

After Telangana was formed as a separate state, the original Act of 2014 stated that Hyderabad shall be the common capital for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for a period not exceeding ten years, after which Hyderabad shall be the capital of Telangana and there shall be a new capital for the successor Andhra Pradesh.

Earlier, on March 28, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution supporting Amaravati as the single capital, paving the way for the introduction of this Bill.

Jagan Mohan Reddy Raises Questions

Meanwhile, former chief minister and YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy accused the TDP supremo and chief minister Chandrababu Naidu of using the capital issue to divert attention from "corruption and looting".

Addressing a press conference, Jagan Mohan Reddy questioned the very basis of the move to declare Amaravati as the state's only capital.

"Show me where the Constitution says every state must have one fixed capital," Jagan Mohan Reddy said. "The Constitution mentions only the capital of India. For states, it only speaks about seats of governance."

He said that the word "capital" for states does not appear anywhere in the Constitution and claimed that the Union government itself had earlier told the Andhra Pradesh High Court that it has no role in deciding a state capital.

"The Centre officially told the High Court that choosing a capital is entirely the right of the state government. If that is true for every other state, why is Andhra Pradesh being treated differently?" he asked.

Jagan Mohan Reddy pointed to the formation of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in 2000, saying their capitals were chosen by the states themselves and not by the Centre.

He also attacked Naidu over the pace of development in Amaravati. 

The YSRCP chief asked what had actually been built in nearly seven years despite acquiring around 50,000 acres of land.

"Naidu promised the world's best capital. But even basic infrastructure like roads, power, water and drainage for the first 50,000 acres would cost nearly Rs 1 lakh crore. Now the master plan has suddenly been expanded by another 50,000 acres, adding another Rs 1 lakh crore burden," he said.

The Centre is expected to move the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha to amend Section 5(2) of the 2014 Act and specifically name Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Amaravati has become the central issue in Andhra Pradesh politics not merely because it is proposed as the state capital, but because it represents Chandrababu Naidu's biggest political vision.

A Little History 

After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, Hyderabad went to Telangana, leaving the residuary state without a capital. Then chief minister Chandrababu Naidu decided to build an entirely new "greenfield" capital between Vijayawada and Guntur on the banks of the Krishna River. He envisioned Amaravati as a world-class city on the lines of Singapore.

The TDP government acquired nearly 33,000 acres from farmers in 29 villages through land pooling. Later, the proposed capital region expanded to around 53,000 acres. Farmers gave their land believing they would receive developed plots and a better future in the new capital city.

International firms, including Foster + Partners and consultants from Singapore, prepared the Amaravati master plan. It proposed a modern city with the Assembly, Secretariat, High Court, financial district, start-up hub, metro corridor and infrastructure designed for a population of 3.5 million by 2050. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Amaravati in 2015.

However, when Jagan Mohan Reddy came to power in 2019, he changed the course of the project. He said that building Amaravati as a full-fledged capital would cost more than Rs 1 lakh crore and benefit only one region. He instead proposed the "three-capitals" model Amaravati as the legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as the executive capital and Kurnool as the judicial capital.

But then in opposition TDP and Amaravati farmers strongly opposed the move, calling it an attempt to break up the capital and the dispute led to years of protests, court cases and intense political confrontation.

Now, Chandrababu Naidu is back as chief minister and a resolution was passed in the state Assembly to recognise Amaravti as the state's only capital.

The amendment Bill being introduced in Parliament is being seen as the final attempt to settle that battle by legally declaring Amaravati as the sole capital of Andhra Pradesh.