How Telangana became its own state in 2014
60 years, three movements, and the day Andhra Pradesh split.
When Andhra Pradesh formed in 1956 by merging Telugu-speaking regions, Telangana was the smaller, drier, and historically distinct half. It took six decades to undo that.
The 1956 States Reorganisation Act merged the Telangana region of the erstwhile Hyderabad State with Andhra State. The Gentlemen's Agreement that accompanied the merger promised safeguards for Telangana's water, jobs, and education. Most were not honored.
The first Telangana movement of 1969 was led primarily by students and government employees and was suppressed; the demand resurfaced in the 1990s and crystallized with the formation of TRS in 2001 by K. Chandrashekar Rao. KCR's 2009 indefinite hunger strike forced the central government's hand.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 created Telangana as the 29th state on June 2, 2014. KCR became its first chief minister. Hyderabad served as joint capital for 10 years; Andhra Pradesh has since shifted to Amaravati.
Open issues — water-sharing of the Krishna and Godavari, the Polavaram project, employee distribution — remain unresolved between the two states.
