Demand for extension of Hyd as joint capital gains momentum

As the ten years stipulated by the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act for Hyderabad to serve as the common capital for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh draws to a close, voices from Andhra Pradesh are calling for an extension. The former Joint Director of the CBI and President of Jai Bharat National Party, VV Lakshminarayana, has taken to Twitter to highlight Section-5 of the Joint Andhra Pradesh Partition Act, which mandates Hyderabad to be the joint capital for at least ten years post-bifurcation.
In his tweet, Lakshminarayana emphasised that Andhra Pradesh has yet to establish a fully functional capital and urged the President of India to issue a special ordinance extending Hyderabad’s status as a joint capital for another decade. Following the 2014 bifurcation, Andhra Pradesh’s then-government, led by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), designated Amaravati as the new capital. Despite drafting a master plan and initiating construction, Amaravati’s development has faced significant challenges. Transit buildings were constructed, and administrative functions began to shift there, but the process remains incomplete. Amaravati continues to be listed as the capital in central government records.
The situation grew more complicated with the rise of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) to power in 2019, which proposed a tri-capital plan for Andhra Pradesh. This plan, however, has been stalled by legal issues, leaving the status of Amaravati unresolved and the state’s capital situation in limbo. Amidst this uncertainty, YSRCP leaders had previously suggested extending the joint capital arrangement. This demand resurfaced briefly before the Telangana assembly elections but was not pursued further. Currently, it is mainly VV Lakshminarayana who is actively advocating for the extension.
Despite being designated a common capital; Hyderabad has seen little utilisation by the Andhra Pradesh government. The state did not leverage the privileges offered, with few buildings being used and none owned by the government. As the deadline approaches, the debate over Hyderabad’s status continues, with significant implications for the future administrative setup of Andhra Pradesh.