If there were a world record for political somersaults, the YSR Congress would win it effortlessly especially for its ever-changing stand on the Andhra Pradesh capital.
The party first supported Amaravati, but after coming to power in 2019, it shifted gears and introduced the idea of three capitals.
Just last week, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy claimed that YSRCP would now stick to Amaravati. But soon after, reports in the pro-YSRCP media suggested that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was unhappy with Sajjala for making unilateral statements on such a sensitive issue.
Now, another twist has come this time from Ambati Rambabu.
Ambati refuses to commit to Amaravati or the three capitals. “You’ll see in the future if we took an A-turn or a J-turn. It’s not over yet. This government still has three and a half years left. If Chandrababu Naidu and Lokesh are asking what we’ll do if we return to power, it clearly means we are coming back to power,” Ambati said.
As usual, Ambati offers his own unique brand of political logic.
In politics, what parties say matters not necessarily because they’ll win elections, but because public stances help shape narratives. Political parties engage in positioning all the time, regardless of outcomes.
Chandrababu Naidu and Lokesh want clarity on YSRCP’s capital stand not out of curiosity, but to score political points.
If Jagan abandons the three-capital idea, it would be seen as a public admission of failure. But if he sticks with it, then the TDP is likely to double down on Amaravati-related development, especially in the surrounding districts.
It’s a familiar political game. Before bifurcation, the Congress and TRS pressured Chandrababu Naidu to declare his stance, even though Congress was in power at the Centre and in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Their aim wasn’t consensus it was politics.
Meanwhile, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy remains silent. He hasn’t responded to any of these developments. Notably, he skipped the Amaravati 2.0 Restart programme, keeping his stance on Amaravati close to his chest for now.
