The latest decision of the Supreme Court deferring the hearing on three capitals issue in Andhra Pradesh has created in a sort of uncertainty in YSR Congress party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s plan to shift his office to Visakhapatnam.
Jagan had announced that he would be moving to Visakhapatnam in September, perhaps on the hope that he would get at least some favourable order from the Supreme Court for relocation, if not the complete judgement in support of three capitals.
But with the apex court not passing any such order, the shifting of the CMO to the port city has now become uncertain. However, the statement of senior YSRC leader and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams trust board chairman Y V Subba Reddy on the issue has led to fresh speculations in the party.
Subba Reddy said Jagan would be shifting his camp office to Visakhapatnam in August or September and the preparations for the same were in full swing.
“Because of some legal issues, it could not materialise all these days,” he said.
It is now more or less clear that the capital issue will not be resolved in the Supreme Court during the present term of Jagan Mohan Reddy government. So, the time has come for Jagan to decide whether he should move to Viskhapatnam or stay back in Tadepalli.
He has realised that Amaravati is going to be a big political issue in the coming elections and lack of a capital for the city might be a negative factor for his party. Though he has been trying to neutralise the same by allotting plots to the poor and constructing houses for them in Amaravati, it is hardly going to fetch him much mileage.
So, if the chief minister moves his camp office to Visakhapatnam, it would give a clear signal to the people that he is firm on the three capitals. At least to that extent, it will help his party gain a lot of mileage in north-coastal Andhra.
