Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday, 1 July declared that the next state election will be fought on the MAVIGUN versus Amaravati divide, vowing to make the decentralised capital corridor a central plank of the party's manifesto. The announcement came at a news conference where Jagan drew sharp battle lines against Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and the ruling coalition.

What MAVIGUN Is and Why Jagan Is Backing It

MAVIGUN — a corridor comprising Machilipatnam, Vijayawada, and Guntur — was the decentralised capital model proposed during Jagan's tenure as Chief Minister. He argues the corridor offers 'natural advantages and ready-made infrastructure,' in contrast to Amaravati, which he alleges is 'steeped in corruption.'

'Next election will be fought on the battle — MAVIGUN versus Amaravati. We stand by it. We are for MAVIGUN. Everybody who is for MAVIGUN will vote for YSRCP. Everybody who is for Amaravati will vote for Chandrababu,' Jagan said at the press conference.

He further alleged that 'exorbitant rates are being paid to contractors in the name of Amaravati,' and positioned MAVIGUN as the corrective alternative. The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led coalition has not responded publicly to these specific charges.

Law and Order Allegations Against the Coalition Government

Jagan mounted a broad offensive against what he described as a collapse of law and order under the current administration. Coining the slogan 'Hey Ram, Save Andhra,' he alleged that Chandrababu has 'weaponised the police' to settle political scores.

He cited the Undavalli incident as a specific example, alleging that a YSRCP team travelling to Penumaka at the invitation of farmers was attacked by TDP cadre, but that cases were subsequently registered against the YSRCP members rather than the alleged attackers. 'This pattern could be seen in the recent Undavalli incident where our party team was attacked by TDP cadre. While we were the victims, cases were registered against us,' he said.

Jagan also raised the custodial death of Sai Krishna, alleging that the case was suppressed until his personal visit to the family brought it to public attention. He alleged that CCTV footage had disappeared from 'three-tier storage points' and that call data had not been collected, calling it a deliberate cover-up. 'There is every effort to save the top people, and the remand report has been revealing astounding and atrocious details,' he said. Top officials have reportedly not been booked in the case.

He further alleged that police are 'watering down' the suicide of Dalit youth Kranthi Kumar, who purportedly left a dying declaration in a video that has since gone viral. Incidents of alleged police excesses were cited in Kurnool, Tenali, and Srikakulam. 'It is a Jungle Raj out there, but we will stand by the victims and fight it out,' Jagan asserted.

Dalit Christian Issue and TDP's Silence

Jagan alleged that TDP leaders are 'whipping up caste and religious passions' over the Dalit Christian issue, while Chandrababu is 'maintaining stoic silence.' He said YSRCP has submitted its position to the Justice Balakrishnan Commission in support of Dalit Christians, and that the party had earlier passed a resolution in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on the matter.

'The social status of a person will not change by converting to another religion, and we expressed our stand on the issue,' he said, calling on TDP to publicly declare its position before the Commission.

Farmers and Voter List Concerns

Jagan alleged that farmers are 'facing the brunt' under the coalition government, with welfare measures introduced during the YSRCP tenure — including Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) — being dismantled. He said there is no crop insurance or input subsidy, and that prices for tobacco, mango, and other crops are falling without government intervention.

On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, he alleged that efforts are underway to delete the names of YSRCP sympathisers from the electoral list — a charge that, if substantiated, would carry serious implications for the integrity of future elections. As the next Andhra Pradesh assembly election approaches, the MAVIGUN-versus-Amaravati framing is set to define the central fault line of the campaign.