Spat over format of Andhra Pradesh's capital city rattles global investors

The three-capital plan proposed by the YSR Congress implies a significant shrinkage of the Amaravati project.

The dispute over whether Andhra Pradesh will have three capital cities, a first for any state in India, or a conventional single-city-based headquarter at Amaravati refuses to abate. In 2020, the Andhra Legislative Assembly passed a Bill that gives shape to the government’s plans to have three capitals — an executive capital at Visakhapatnam, a legislative capital at Amravati, a new city for which land was acquired from farmers, and a judicial capital in Kurnool. But just last week, the state’s ruling party, YSR Congress, led by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, held a rally in Visakhapatnam to drum up