LUCKNOW: The Moradabad district administration has cancelled the allotment of the iconic Kothi No. 4 in the Civil Lines area of Moradabad city, which served as the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) nerve centre in western Uttar Pradesh for over three decades. The sprawling bungalow, originally made in 1994 in the name of SP founder and former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, will not be a part of the party’s heritage any more.
The Moradabad district administration has cited violation of rules and state government’s need to reclaim the property. Confirming that the Samajwadi Party is given a 30-day time to vacate the property, Moradabad District magistrate Anuj Singh said that the Municipal bungalows could only be leased for a maximum of 15 years. “This property has remained with the SP for over 31 years. With the growing demand for government offices and residences, we had no option but to reclaim it," said the DM.
The notice, issued by the Additional District Magistrate (Finance), directs the SP to vacate the premises within 30 days, failing which a fine of Rs 1,000 per day would be imposed, along with legal proceedings.
However, the Samajwadis are exploring legal options and SP Moradabad District president Jaiveer Yadav confirmed receiving the notice. "We are consulting lawyers and will pursue this legally," he said.
Kothi No. 4 is a sprawling 953.71 square meters property just opposite Police Training College in Moradabad’s most prestigious VIP enclave. With four rooms, a sprawling lawn, and ample parking, the building was inaugurated by SP patriarch late Mulayam Singh Yadav on July 26, 1994. It was allotted to him as SP’s national president at a token rent of Rs 250 per month.
For SP, the bungalow was not just a headquarters but a cradle of its western UP expansion. As per senior Samajwadi Party leaders, the Kothi was more than an office—it was their command centre.
During the Mandal agitation, the Rampur Tiraha incident, and later the Kisan Jawan Sangharsh Day protests, this place remained the main meeting point where strategies were drawn, workers assembled, and Mulayam Singh’s vision was communicated.
They feel that taking it away now was a calculated move by the Yogi government to weaken the morale of Samajwadis and erase their roots from western UP. The infamous incident of police firing on activists demanding a separate Uttarakhand state at Rampur Tiraha in Muzaffarnagar on October 1–2, 1994, killing half a dozen people, had turned Kothi number 4 into a crisis centre where emergency meetings were held and strategies were devised to placate the party supporters who were deeply shaken by the incident.
Local SP leaders and workers feel that the district administration’s move has come as a jolt, particularly at a time when the party is preparing for the upcoming political battles in the state.
They say that it is not merely about the rules. The BJP knows the symbolic importance of this Kothi for Samajwadis in western UP. By taking it away, they want to send a message and weaken the morale of party workers. It is a deliberate attempt to shake the confidence of the cadre.
On the contrary, the district administration cited three key reasons for the cancellation, stating that the allotment was in the name of Mulayam Singh Yadav, who passed away on October 10, 2022, and no transfer request was made thereafter. Also, the property lies on Nazul land, officially recorded as government property under the Moradabad Municipal Corporation, which needs it for officers’ residences and official projects. Additionally, the SP has not been regular in paying the rent in recent years. The loss of Kothi No. 4 means SP will now have to find a new district office — a challenge both logistically and symbolically.