A day after the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, became law, the YSRCP, led by former Chief Minister and party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, reiterated its stand that there should be an alternative to Amaravati as the capital and strongly opposed the single-capital model.
Jagan Mohan Reddy said that apart from the three-capitals plan, he had also suggested a Plan B. “Keeping in view of the exorbitant cost and with a view to not burdening the people and continuing the welfare and development process, we have opted for three capitals and chosen Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, as it already has the infrastructure and with little investment, it would serve the purpose,” he said.
For regional balance, he said, his government had kept Amaravati as the Legislative capital and Kurnool as the Law capital.
“We have also given a Plan B to develop the Machilipatnam-Vijayawada-Guntur corridor as the capital region, but it was also not considered. We are not against Amaravati or any other region; we are only opposing the rampant corruption in the name of Amaravati, how other regions are being neglected, how welfare and development is coming to a grinding halt with the single-mindedness and high focus only on Amaravati,” he added.
Senior YSRCP leader and former MLA Kasu Mahesh Reddy said the party bats for an alternative capital. “Considering the cost and connectivity, Amaravati is not feasible. The proposal to develop the Machilipatnam-Vijayawada-Guntur corridor as the capital city should be considered as it will be economically viable and would become a growth engine,” he said.
Amaravati is interior; instead, it would be better to build the capital closer to a national highway, he said.
“There is every need for a debate on Plan B we suggested, as the capital cost would come down, it would link Vijayawada and Guntur as twin cities and will have access to Machilipatnam port. Even Hyderabad is looking at Machilipatnam for port facilities he told The Indian Express.
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Jagan said that Naidu should have included Special Category Status for the state in the capital Bill.
“Chandrababu’s capital approach is impractical. From where will he get Rs 2 lakh crores to develop the capital region? Chandrababu boasted that the capital city is a self-financed model, then why were loans being taken, and allocations made in the Budget? Rampant corruption is going on in land acquisition to tendering process and the exorbitant rates being given to the favoured contractors,’’ Jagan said.
Jagan also said that while passing the resolution, the Legislative Council, where the YSRCP has a majority, was not taken into confidence.
“Discussion in the Council would have exposed Chandrababu’s corruption,” Jagan said.
Party general secretary S V Satish Reddy said the way the resolution was pushed without taking the consent of the Council was audacious.
“Spending Rs 2 lakh crore for basic infrastructure is sheer waste of public money and is delegating welfare and development and pushing the State backward. The Machilipatnam Vijayawada Guntur corridor is close to national highway and has access to port. The cost in this region would be much less and extent of capital too should be less and it will grow on its own based on the development,” he said.
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YSRCP Lok Sabha floor leader P V Midhun Reddy, who participated in the debate, criticised the broader financial approach, stating that while the government is struggling to pay salaries on time, it continues to push a capital project requiring lakhs of crores, raising doubts about its viability. He said that Special Category Status has been abandoned and that restrictions on the Polavaram project could lead to massive financial losses to the state, further compounding economic stress. Reaffirming the party’s stance, he emphasised that decentralisation of development remains YSRCP’s core policy, citing global examples of multiple-capital models, and argued that concentrating massive investments in a single region is neither practical nor equitable.
The Jagan government had proposed three-capitals plan rooted in the idea of decentralised development. The proposal envisaged Amaravati as the legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as the executive (administrative) capital, and Kurnool as the judicial capital, with each city handling a distinct function of governance.
The YSRCP argued that this model would ensure more balanced regional growth across Andhra Pradesh rather than concentrating investment and power in a single location.
