Jagan suggests larger ‘capital area’ as alternative to Amaravati

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed by a voice vote the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2026 to recognise Amaravati as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh. Jagan suggests larger ‘capital area’ as alternative to AmaravatiAndhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu described the passage of the Bill as a “moment of honour” for the people of the state. “The passage of this bill is a moment of honour. This is a recognition of the sacrifices of farmers and the aspirations of the people. The uncertainty surrounding Amaravati’s future has been permanently removed,” Naidu said in a post on ‘X’. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai moved the Bill. Speaker Om Birla put it for vote and accepted it following a voice vote. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, under which Telangana was created, recognises Hyderabad as the capital of the new state, but there was no mention as to where the capital of Andhra Pradesh would come up. Union minister of state for communications and rural development Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, a lawmaker from the Telugu Desam Party, said the legislation reaffirms “the vision of a single, world-class capital in alignment with the original global-standard cityspirit of the State’s reorganisation.” The House debated the bill for nearly two hours during which MPs from most parties, including the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), expressed their support for the legislation. However, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP Mithun Reddy opposed the bill, raising concerns over the present form of the legislation “without the emphasis on special category status (SCS) and the Polavaram irrigation project”. Participating in the discussions, Congress MP Manickam Tagore expressed that the bifurcation of the state had fundamentally altered its economic structure as Telangana retained Hyderabad, a major economic hub, and left Andhra Pradesh without strong institutions and revenue-gathering infrastructure. “Amravati is not just a capital, it is the aspiration of crores. Farmers gave land, people trusted the system, and the state believed the Parliament. Amravati must be built not in fragments but as a world-class capital,” he said. BJP MP CM Ramesh said, “This is a bill which steps on every speculation, every move, every onslaught on the new capital Amaravati by any future regime. With this bill, no one can move Andhra Pradesh’s capital by even one inch.” said .