Centre Prepares Bill to Legally Name Amaravati as Andhra Pradesh Capital

The Union government of India has moved to formally designate Amaravati as the capital of the residuary Andhra Pradesh, resolving a long-standing legal limbo that has shadowed the state’s administration.

Officials say a draft bill will be introduced soon to amend the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, specifically Section 5(20) to explicitly name Amaravati as the state capital.

Under the 2014 Act, when the state was bifurcated and Hyderabad ceased to be a shared capital, Andhra Pradesh was left without any named capital — a void that allowed later administrations to experiment with alternate proposals.

The recent move follows pressure from former capital-region farmers and the current state government to secure Amaravati’s status once and for all.

If passed, the amendment will offer Amaravati a rock-solid legal foundation, minimizing chances that future governments might reintroduce the “three-capital” model or shift the state capital elsewhere. According to sources, the Union law ministry has already cleared the proposal; the bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament soon.

Observers say this marks a milestone in Andhra Pradesh’s decade-long struggle over its identity and administrative future — offering clarity not just to policymakers but also to investors and citizens who had patiently awaited a permanent capital settlement.