Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
1. Rise of the Andhra movement
- Telugu speakers felt neglected in the Tamil-dominated Madras Presidency — jobs, education and development.
- First Andhra Mahasabha, Bapatla (1913) — presided over by B. N. Sarma; began the organised demand for a separate province.
- Andhra Provincial Congress Committee — formed in 1918, as the Congress accepted linguistic provinces for its own organisation (formalised at Nagpur, 1920).
- Andhra University — founded in 1926 (Visakhapatnam).
2. Sribagh Pact (16 November 1937)
- An agreement between leaders of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, signed at Sribagh, the Madras residence of Kasinathuni Nageswara Rao.
- Safeguards for the less-developed Rayalaseema: location of the university and High Court / capital in different regions, priority to irrigation projects (Krishna and Tungabhadra) for Rayalaseema, and equal representation in the legislature.
3. Commissions after Independence
| Body | Year | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Linguistic Provinces Commission (S. K. Dhar) | 1948 | Against reorganisation on linguistic grounds for the time being |
| JVP Committee — Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Pattabhi Sitaramayya | 1949 | Linguistic states could wait, but an Andhra State could be formed if leaders agreed — without Madras city |