Kejriwal gets Type-VII bungalow in Lodhi Estate after legal battle

New Delhi: After months of legal wrangling and bureaucratic back-and-forth, the Aam Aadmi Party’s national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has finally been allotted a government bungalow at 95 Lodhi Estate, one of Lutyens’ Delhi’s elite residential zones.

The Type VII bungalow, which was earlier occupied by BJP leader and former

National Minority Commission chairperson Iqbal Singh Laalpura, has now been designated as Kejriwal’s official residence.

According to sources, the decision came after the Delhi High Court intervened, directing central agencies to identify suitable accommodation for Kejriwal in his capacity as the head of a national political party. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) subsequently finalized the property at Lodhi Estate.

The house, a spacious four-bedroom residence with a large hall, dining area, and waiting room, also features

two lawns and staff quarters that have been occupied by government personnel for nearly a decade.

Kejriwal and his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, visited the bungalow earlier this week to inspect the premises, and are expected to move in after renovation and standard modifications are complete.

The AAP leadership had been pressing for official accommodation since Kejriwal vacated his former residence at 6 Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines in October 2024, shortly

after stepping down as Chief Minister.

Delhi, unlike several other states, does not provide government housing to former Chief Ministers, forcing AAP to seek an alternative arrangement through legal means.

AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal, who currently resides at 5 Ferozeshah Road, had even offered his own Type VII bungalow for Kejriwal’s temporary use while the party pursued the matter in court. The party had initially sought a Type VIII bungalow, normally reserved for Cabinet ministers, arguing that Kejriwal’s position as the leader of a

national party warranted such entitlement. However, the final allotment settled at the Type VII category.

Interestingly, AAP had earlier requested the bungalow at 35 Lodhi Estate, once occupied by BSP chief Mayawati. That residence, however, had already been allotted in July to Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary.

The new allotment also comes against the backdrop of the ‘sheeshmahal’ controversy, when Kejriwal faced criticism over alleged extravagant renovations at his former official residence during his tenure as Chief Minister.