House of controversy: Delhi BJP says CM won't occupy 'Sheesh Mahal'

NEW DELHI: Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Saturday said that BJP's chief minister will not occupy the "Sheesh Mahal", a govt official bungalow where Arvind Kejriwal used to live when he was the chief minister.

The 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow in Civil Lines was mired in controversy over the past year for the allegedly costly upgrades that Kejriwal made. BJP dubbed this house "Sheesh Mahal". Its campaign focusing on the house might have emerged as a factor behind Kejriwal's and AAP's electoral loss. "No BJP chief minister will occupy the 'Sheeshmahal'. The future of the residence will be decided as per the law," Sachdeva said.

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Currently, the Public Works Department (PWD) has possession of the residence, which it took from chief minister Atishi after PWD carried out a detailed audit of its interiors. This was done after Kejriwal vacated the accommodation following his resignation from the post of chief minister last year.

The list of extravagant interiors found during the audit made its way into the media. This was then used by both BJP and Congress as a campaign point.

BJP even made small replicas of the residence and mounted them on vans, which moved across the city as part of its election campaign.

In 2022, the vigilance department initiated an inquiry on the direction of LG VK Saxena into "irregularities and cost escalation in renovation of the house" by PWD.

Then in 2024, an inquiry was initiated against the PWD officials involved, and some faced suspension. CBI is probing the matter.

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