Decode Politics: Chandrababu Naidu’s first 5 decisions as CM — Amaravati as capital to jobs, skill census

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday immediately got down to work, approving five promises that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) made in its manifesto. Naidu took charge at 4.41 pm at the Secretariat in Velagapudi in Guntur district.

Right after reducing the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress (YSRCP) to 11 Assembly seats, Naidu, who contested the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in alliance with Pawan Kalyan’s JanaSena Party (JSP) and BJP, announced that Amaravati would be the sole capital of the state. He also announced his intention to revoke the Land Titling Act and decided to increase pension amounts, publish an annual jobs calendar, and order a skill census.

What is the significance of the Amaravati decision?

Naidu first announced Amaravati as the capital when TDP came to power in 2014. But after losing power in 2019, in which the party was reduced to 23 seats, the project was scrapped by the YSRCP government that proposed a “three capital formula” for “decentralised governance”.

The Jagan government halted the capital development project, leading to a loss of jobs and livelihoods of thousands of people. It also angered the farmers who donated, according to unofficial estimates, around 33,000 acres of land for the capital.

“This is a no-brainer. This was bound to be the first announcement. People voted him back to power to ensure they get a capital. It has been 10 years since the state was bifurcated and we still do not have a capital. We hope to set up the capital in the next two to three years,” said a close aide of TDP MLA Tenali Sravan Kumar. Amaravati falls under the Tatikonda Assembly constituency in Guntur district.

What other decisions did Naidu make?

Naidu has decided to revoke the Land