Delhi BJP Chief Virendra Sachdeva explained on Monday that the next Chief Minister of Delhi will not reside in the controversial "Sheesh Mahal," a term the BJP employed to denote Arvind Kejriwal's luxurious official residence. The BJP had strongly criticized the lavish renovation of the property during its AAP opposition campaign in the last elections.

Sachdeva requested Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena to revoke the merger of four government properties with the bungalow at 6, Flagstaff Road. He accused Kejriwal of increasing the size of the property by adding these government-owned lands.“The next Chief Minister of Delhi will not stay in it (the bungalow),” he said, adding that the BJP-led government would decide the property's fate.

Delhi Chief Minister between 2015 and October 2024, vacated the residence after resigning on corruption charges. However, the last few years saw the makeover of the bungalow as the focal point of BJP's criticism, with the party terming it "Sheesh Mahal." They claimed that Kejriwal was being hypocritical by projecting himself as a leader of the common man while supposedly spending public money on rich makeovers.

Vijender Gupta, new BJP MLA from Rohini and erstwhile Leader of Opposition took the issue forward, writing to the L-G and urging for immediate restoration of the bungalow to its original location. Gupta, in his letter, alleged that Kejriwal illegally expanded the size of the property from 10,000 square meters to over 50,000 square meters by acquiring nearby government properties, including eight Type-V flats at 45 and 47 Rajpur Road and government bungalows at 8A and 8B Flagstaff Road.

Declaring the expansion as illegal and immoral, Gupta mentioned that these alterations were done in defiance of sanction and against the canons of law. Gupta called for action on the part of the authorities and the return of the encroached properties.

After BJP's stunning victory in the Delhi Assembly election, where the party won 48 out of 70 seats. With the win, the BJP is all set to form the government in the national capital for the first time in 27 years, putting an end to AAP's ten-year regime.

Read: Rs 33.66 crore spent on Delhi CM’s Sheeshmahal, over 340% more than estimated cost: CAG