Andhra: Will Amaravati Become The Capital Again As TDP Comes To Power With Thumping Majority?

The recent victory of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jana Sena Party (JSP) alliance signifies a renewed focus on developing Amaravati as the singular capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Effective from 2 June, Hyderabad has ceased to be the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, in accordance with the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014.

N Chandrababu Naidu, then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh declared Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh in 2015. Under his administration, the process of relocating the state's administrative functions to Amaravati began, with interim arrangements set up in Vijayawada.

Most government offices, including the secretariat, were moved to Amaravati. Naidu’s vision included transforming Amaravati into a world-class capital, complete with modern infrastructure and global investments.

The TDP's ambitious plans faced challenges when the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), led by Jagan Mohan Reddy, came to power in 2019 and proposed a three-capital model for decentralised administration.

This model designated Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, Amaravati as the legislative capital, and Kurnool as the judicial capital. However, YSRCP government could not make much progress on its three-capital plan.

The TDP-BJP-JSP alliance’s manifesto emphasised developing Amaravati as the capital city with all necessary infrastructure and facilities.

In numerous public meetings, TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu, BJP leaders, and JSP chief Pawan Kalyan made strong statements about their commitment to developing Amaravati as the capital city.

Naidu has recently reaffirmed his commitment to Amaravati, stating, "No power on earth can disturb Amaravati, which will continue to be the capital of the State."

Amaravati Capital City

Amaravati was selected as the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh due to its strategic location which lies between the two nodal urban centres of Vijayawada and Guntur in the capital region (8,600 sq/km).

It is envisioned to be the people centric pioneer smart city of India built around sustainability and liveability principles.

The city has an area of 217.23 sq/km and is spread across 25 villages in 3 mandals (Thulluru, Mangalagiri and Tadepalli) of Guntur district.