NEW DELHI: On the occasion of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s 55th birthday on Thursday, a Griha Pravesh Puja was held at bungalow number 5 on Sunehri Bagh Road.
The Type VIII sprawling bungalow was formally allotted to the Congress leader in August last year. With the ritual, Rahul has begun the process of shifting to the new residence.
According to party sources, the shifting will be completed soon, before the Monsoon session of Parliament, which begins on July 21.
“Griha Pravesh Puja was a private affair… As per the rituals, the family has to spend the night in the house on the day of the Puja. It means the occupant has moved into the new house. Movement of his belongings may take some time,” said a party functionary.
His sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is an MP from Wayanad, is currently out of the country, sources added.
Rahul, who had been staying with his mother Sonia Gandhi at 10, Janpath, was expected to move in within three to four months. However, renovation and other arrangements, including office space, took time. Soon after Rahul conveyed his acceptance for the Sunehri Bagh bungalow, Priyanka Gandhi inspected the house.
As the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul is entitled to a Type VIII bungalow, which has five bedrooms, as he holds the rank of a Cabinet minister.
Since becoming a Member of Lok Sabha, Rahul had been residing at property number 12 on Tughlaq Lane until his disqualification from the House in 2023. He had to vacate the house following his conviction in a defamation case.
Subsequently, he shifted to 10, Janpath, which has been his mother Sonia Gandhi’s residence for years. Rahul continued to live there even after the Supreme Court stayed his disqualification.
The Sunehri Bagh residence was earlier occupied by Karnataka BJP leader A. Narayanaswamy. He was the Minister of State for Social Justice in the Modi government from 2021 to 2024.