CM Jagan likely to shift to Vizag from Dasara

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday informed the Cabinet that the state administration will start functioning from Visakhapatnam from this coming Dasara festival. The government has also decided to appoint a committee to oversee the establishment of government offices in Vizag.

The AP Cabinet meeting chaired by the CM was held in the Secretariat at Velagapudi. At the meeting, the CM discussed the shifting plan, the impact of Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest and other issues with the ministers.

The CM advised his ministers to explain facts about the arrest of Naidu. "Tell the people why TD chief Chandrababu was arrested. Explain to them the corruption during the TD rule. We took action against Chandrababu only in relation to situations wherein he made mistakes.”

“There is no need for us to pay much attention to the TD's protests over the arrest. The development agenda of the YSRC government should be taken to the people. Ministers and MLAs should be in touch with the public. We should be ready for elections anytime. We do not know when the Centre will make a decision on the future polls. We will give house plots to MLAs in Visakhapatnam. Let's go to the capital Visakhapatnam soon," the CM was quoted as telling his ministers.

Jagan Mohan Reddy asked the ministers to be ready to face elections any time and hinted that ‘AP will go for Jamili (simultaneous) elections’ depending on the decision of the Union Government.

Notably, the plans for shifting the executive capital to Vizag are facing legal and technical hurdles. But as the elections are nearing and there is hardly a few months’ time for polls, the CM decided to shift his administration from Tadepalli in Amaravati to Visakhapatnam on the auspicious Vijaya Dasami (Dasara) festival day.

Jagan Mohan Reddy announced the Three Capitals decision for decentralised development of AP state on December 17, 2019, saying Amaravati would be the Legislative Capital, Vizag the Executive Capital and Kurnool the Judiciary Capital. But numerous petitions were filed in the AP High Court and the Supreme Court against the capital shift decision.

The AP High Court gave a verdict stopping the state government from shifting the capital to Visakhapatnam. But now, there is a dire need for the YSRC to bring forth the decentralised development issue in view of the approach of the elections season. Hence, the CM finally decided to move administration to Vizag.

After the Cabinet meeting, industries minister Gudivada Amarnath said the CM's administration will start from Visakhapatnam on Dasara day. “The CM emphasised this matter with the ministers in today's Cabinet meeting,” he said.

The CM has also ordered the setting up of a committee with officials to arrange the shifting of government offices to Vizag. “No rule says the CM should not rule from Visakhapatnam,” he added.