Jagan Proposes 'Mavigun' as Larger Capital Area to Challenge Amaravati

YSR Congress Party president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy proposed a bold alternative to Amaravati, calling it a 'Plan B' for Andhra Pradesh's capital region. At a press conference, he pitched a larger capital area, suggesting the 110-kilometre urban corridor from Machilipatnam through Vijayawada to Guntur be declared the state's capital area, to be named 'Mavigun'—a blend of Machilipatnam, Vijayawada, and Guntur. He argued this distributed model would unlock long-term economic and infrastructural growth, arguing that concentrating development in one zone risks inefficiency.

In the lower house, Jagan's party MPs led by P Mithun Reddy staged a walkout, saying the AP Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to declare Amaravati the permanent capital, offers no meaningful benefits and is a legal cover for a politically driven project in Amaravati.

Jagan explained that Machilipatnam is about 70 km from Vijayawada, and Vijayawada is roughly 40 km from Guntur, making a three-city belt a natural urban and economic cluster. He claimed the combined population of these regions approaches four million, and with targeted infrastructure, connectivity, administration, and urban services, the area could be developed as an integrated capital zone with distributed growth and efficient use of public investment. He noted that if the name 'Mavigun' reminds people of him, the government can choose another name.

Amid this, national discussions continue after the Lok Sabha passed the bill recognizing Amaravati as the sole capital, a move to end ambiguity and future challenges to the capital decision. The debate highlights the political stakes in Andhra Pradesh's capital project, with supporters arguing for a clear, legally backed capital plan and opponents urging a more regionally balanced approach.

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