Rejecting Amaravati to be made the capital of Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday announced that his party will contest the upcoming Assembly elections under the banner of developing the ‘Machilipatnam-Vijayawada-Guntur’ (Mavegaon) corridor as the new state capital.
Speaking to reporters at his residence, Jagan unveiled ‘Mavigun’ as the YSRCP’s political agenda for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
“The upcoming elections will revolve around the issue of Mavigaon versus Amaravati. Those who accept Mavigaon as the capital region will vote for YSRCP and those who accept Amaravati as the capital may vote for TDP. Let us see what happens,” Jagan said.
Declaring that the YSRCP is committed to the Mavigun concept, Jagan said the proposal will be incorporated into the party’s election manifesto and the people of Andhra Pradesh will ultimately decide which vision they support.
The former chief minister alleged that the recent visit of YSRCP leaders to Amaravati was deliberately portrayed as an attempt to oppose the state capital. He said his party is trying to expose the massive corruption and irregularities allegedly being committed in the name of the capital.
Jagan alleged that party representatives who visited the capital region after farmers asked them to do so were attacked, following which criminal cases were registered against the victims instead of the attackers.
“Our criticism was directed at the alleged scams and difficulties faced by farmers in the Amaravati capital region. Farmers whose lands were seized for the capital project continue to raise concerns and wonder why they continue to face unresolved issues,” he said.
Jagan alleged that those who questioned the developments in Amaravati were labeled as troublemakers and subjected to police action. “This is a serious misuse of police machinery,” he claimed.
In a sharp response to Jagan’s statements, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh accused the former prime minister of trying to spark a new political controversy around the state capital.
In a statement, the minister emphasized that Amaravati was not a matter of political interest or personal preference of those in power, but a symbol of self-respect and future aspirations of over 55 million people in Andhra Pradesh.
Durgesh claimed that Jagan first supported Amaravati in the Assembly, later proposed several capitals after assuming office, and is now presenting Mavigun as a new concept.
Questioning Jagan’s consistency, the minister said the state capital cannot be changed according to political expediency and compared repeated attempts to change the capital to demolishing the foundation of a house and rebuilding it every five years.
The minister stressed that stable capital is necessary to attract investment and generate job opportunities for young people. He said frequent changes in capital policy undermine investor confidence and hamper economic development in the state.
