Why Is Jagan So Stubborn About Three Capitals?

The upcoming Assembly elections can be considered as a consensus on the capital of Andhra Pradesh. The YCP’s manifesto iterated that it is committed to the three-capital formula. In the party manifesto released yesterday, it was clearly mentioned that administration would be done from Visakhapatnam. There are doubts over why YCP president and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is so particular about having Vizag as the executive capital.

There is one argument stating that it is because he has real estate interest in the Port City. There is one other argument that he wants to shift to Vizag only to show his opposition against his bête noire N. Chandrababu Naidu, who proposed Amaravati as the capital.

However, Jagan Mohan Reddy and his party leaders had been stating that the three-capital formula was suggested only to decentralise development.

The three-capital proposal states that Visakhapatnam will be the executive capital, Kurnool the judiciary capital and Amaravati will remain the legislative capital.

This indicates that there will be no improvement in the existing situation in Andhra Pradesh. The CM’s office will also shift to Vizag.

Now, it has to be seen if people will accept to this proposal or disagree with him and support the NDA’s decision to establish Amaravati as the capital.

The TDP alliance had been time and again telling the electorate that the capital works would resume soon as the alliance assumes charge after the results. TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, party scion Lokesh, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan have been raising the issue of farmers’ protest and Amaravati during their campaigns.

Now, it has to be seen whether the electorate would prefer three capitals or one capital.