Rayachoti Demands Retention As Annamayya District HQ

Anantapur: Proposals to reorganise Annamayya district and shift its headquarters have triggered protests in Rayachoti, with residents demanding that the town continue as the district headquarters.

Rayachoti is currently the headquarters of Annamayya district, formed during the YSRC regime. However, fresh proposals reportedly envisage a major reshuffle, under which Rayachoti may be merged into a newly proposed Madanapalle district, Railway Kodur Assembly segment may be shifted to Tirupati district, and parts of Rajampet may be merged back into Kadapa district.

Opposing these moves, large-scale protests were held in Rayachoti on Sunday under the leadership of a Joint Action Committee (JAC). Activists cutting across party lines staged a demonstration on the Kurnool–Chittoor National Highway at Netaji Junction, raising slogans such as “Rayachoti should remain the district headquarters” and “We don’t want Madanapalle – Rayachoti is our choice.”

Later, leaders of political parties, traders’ associations, educational institutions and other organisations took out a procession in the town. Traders voluntarily downed shutters and observed a bandh in support of the protest.

Protesters said any attempt to remove the district headquarters at a time when Rayachoti was witnessing development would hurt public sentiment. They warned of continued agitation if the government failed to reconsider its decision.

Meanwhile, Minister Ramprasad Reddy, in a selfie video released on Saturday night, said he hoped the Chief Minister would consider his representation on the issue. YSRC leader G. Srikanth Reddy criticised the TDP-led government, alleging that the proposed changes were politically motivated and ignored the need to strengthen existing district headquarters.