NEW DELHI: Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday shifted to 95, Lodhi Estate. He is entitled to a government accommodation considering his position as the convener of a national party (Aam Aadmi Party).
The Type VII bungalow was allotted in October after the Delhi High Court pulled up the Centre for delaying the allotment.
“In the last few days, the Central government allotted me a house on the orders of the court, given my position as the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party. I have now shifted to that house with my family,” Kejriwal posted on X.
Soon after the allotment, Kejriwal and his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, inspected the bungalow, and it was stated that the AAP leader would move to the bungalow after the required renovation and modifications.
The property was previously allotted to the BJP leader and former chairperson of the National Minority Commission (NMC) Iqbal Singh Laalpura, who had unsuccessfully contested the assembly election in Punjab.
The Type VII bungalow, the second largest category of government residential accommodation, spreading over approximately 5,000 square feet (sqft), comprises four bedrooms, a hall, a dining room, a waiting room, an office space and two lawns besides a garage, and three servant quarters.
The property allotted to Kejriwal is next to the residence of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.
During his tenure as chief minister in Delhi, Kejriwal lived at an accommodation at 6, Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines. He moved out of the bungalow after he resigned on September 17, 2024. Since he had no permanent government residence in the city, the AAP chief temporarily moved to a government property, 5, Ferozeshah Road, in Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone (LBZ).
Kejriwal faced corruption charges following the renovation of the Flagstaff Road property.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused him of misusing Rs 33.66 crore of public funds to renovate his official bungalow in North Delhi. The party had also made it a huge election issue in Delhi, calling the house ‘Sheesh Mahal’ (glass house), and vowing that its Chief Minister will not stay there.
In 2022, the Delhi government's vigilance department initiated an inquiry, at the direction of the then Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, into allegations of 'irregularities and cost escalation' in the renovation of the Civil Lines bungalow by the PWD.