The political war of words over the location of Andhra Pradesh’s capital shows no sign of abating even after the Parliament’s statutory approval to the state government’s proposal to designate Amaravati as the capital.
Since Amaravati, the riverfront capital coming up between Vijayawada and Guntur in the coastal region, is seen as the brainchild of Telugu Desam Party president and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the opposition YSR Congress Party, headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, continues to oppose it.
When everyone thought that a closure has finally been achieved on the capital issue with the Parliament recently endorsing the state assembly’s resolution declaring Amaravati as the sole capital city, the YSRCP has come up with what it calls an ‘alternative idea’.
The proposal, put forward by Jagan at a media conference, projects Machilipatnam-Vijayawada-Guntur (Mavigun) corridor as an alternative capital model.
Opposition’s Plan B
Describing it as a “Plan B” for the capital region, the YSRCP chief suggested that instead of confining the capital to Amaravati, the government should consider declaring the 110-kilometre urban corridor stretching from Machilipatnam, a port town, to Vijayawada and Guntur as the state’s capital area and argued that such a model would unlock long-term economic and infrastructural growth.
Though the proposal initially took his own party leaders by surprise, it soon gained currency in the opposition camp. Now, the YSRCP leaders have been coming out in support of their boss and rooting for what has come to be called as “Mavigun” (Machilipatnam-Vijayawada-Guntur).
However, Jagan was trolled heavily on social media after the initial proposal. “When he was in power, he aggressively pitched for three capital cities for AP – executive capital at Visakhapatnam, judicial capital at Kurnool and legislative capital at Amaravati —which was rejected by the people. Why didn’t he talk about the Machilipatnam-Vijayawada-Guntur corridor then?” TDP official spokesperson N Vijay Kumar asked.
“He seems to have gone mad. He is trying to confuse the people with his crazy ideas like Mavigun,” Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu told reporters, adding that the development of Amaravati alone would be a fitting reply to Jagan.
Also read: Nod for Amaravati, a shot in the arm for Naidu
However, for the last two days, Jagan and his party leaders have been seriously campaigning in support of Mavigun idea, indicating that the party would seriously push the proposal, if it is voted back to power again in 2029.
Aggressive push
At the party meeting held at Tadepalli, Jagan made it clear that “Mavigun” was not a non-serious thought, adding that it was backed by strong reasoning. “We proposed that the 110 km Machilipatnam-Vijayawada-Guntur corridor be developed into a capital city as it is close to a national highway, has a fully developed port, and an international airport. It is an economic and feasible model, which can be developed at a cost just 10 per cent of what is being spent on Amaravati,” he said.
He accused Naidu of splurging money on Amaravati only for the sake of kickbacks from the contractors. “In order to prevent such corruption and safeguard the state’s future, we proposed Mavigun, which is being well-received by the people,” Jagan said.
Other YSRCP leaders have taken up the cause in the last three days. YSRCP state coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy has asserted that Mavigun was a better alternative than Amaravati on all counts. “While Amaravati will take decades to develop into a capital city, Mavigun has all the facilities to function as the capital with least investment,” he said on Friday.
The party leaders and cadre put up flex banners and posters near the party office at Tadepalli in Guntur with a new slogan “Raavali Jagan… Kaavali Mavigun,” (Come back Jagan come back, we want Mavigun) on the lines of “Raavali Jagan, Kaavali Jagan,” which played a major role in building emotional and electoral momentum before the 2019 assembly elections.
Even the YSRCP social media activists have started actively propagating Mavigun concept on all forms of social media, while Jagan’s own media house Sakshi has been carrying stories in support of the new capital idea.
Also read: Challenges galore as Cong completes two years in Telangana
“Now that the Centre has given statutory approval for Amaravati, the Chief Minister should expedite the ongoing works. If he doesn’t achieve tangible progress in the next three years, there is every possibility that Jagan would dismantle the capital project altogether, if he is voted to power again,” political analyst Manchala Srinivasa Rao said.
Capital woes
Since Telangana's carving out from the original combined Andhra Pradesh in 2014, Amaravati has been at the centre of the state's political and developmental discourse. Following that year's elections, Naidu announced Amaravati as the new state's capital.
It was launched with great ambition, envisioned as a city surpassing Hyderabad, which Naidu helped transform into a major IT and infrastructure hub. Around 34,000 acres of land were pooled from over 30,000 farmers across 29 villages near Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali, and Mangalagiri.
Under a unique land pooling scheme, farmers were promised developed residential and commercial plots along with annual payments for 10 years. The vision was to create a self-sustaining, modern capital capable of generating economic opportunities and fostering entrepreneurship.
The issue grew contentious during the YSRCP's tenure from 2019 to 2024, when the government halted works on Amaravati and instead proposed a three-capital model.
This plan, however, faced legal and administrative challenges and ultimately failed to materialise.
The issue remained central in the 2024 elections, where the Telugu Desam Party-led NDA secured a decisive victory, winning 164 out of 175 seats. With the change of guard, Amaravati has once again taken the centre stage.
In the special Assembly session on March 28, Naidu had said legal certainty on the capital issue can be achieved only through suitable amendments to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.
For Naidu, this marks the realisation of another major ambition. He has consistently maintained that when the TDP joined the NDA, there was an agreement that Andhra Pradesh would have Amaravati as its sole capital.
Drawing from his experience in transforming Cyberabad into a major IT hub, Naidu envisions building a world-class city in Andhra Pradesh that serves not only as the capital but also as a centre for top-tier infrastructure, IT, AI, and quantum technology.
The AP Capital Region Development Authority has commenced works worth over Rs 90,000 crore. Financial support has been secured from institutions like HUDCO, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the World Bank, enabling the government to accelerate progress.
Over and above the 34,241 acres of land that was pooled from farmers, the government is acquiring another 30,000 acres through pooling to expand the capital region.
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