New Delhi: The Delhi government is all set to develop the official residence of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as a “Delhi State Guest House-cum-Cultural Centre”, Sources said. It may be recalled that renovation and bueautification of the bunglow at 6 Flagstaff Raod in Civil Lines in North Delhi by the previous AAP government was a made a major issue by the BJP before the 2025 delhi assembly election.
The bunglow, described as”Sheesh Mahal” by the BJP during the election campaign to malign AAP, has remained unoccupied since October 2024 when Kejriwal moved out. The proposal to develop the civil lines bunglow is in final stages. It was discussed in a high-level meeting where Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and senior officials were present. The Public Works Department(PWD) has been asked to submit details of the present condition of the property.
It is obvious that BJP government wants to develop Kejriwal bunglow as a guest house to indicate how AAP indulged in corruption and profligacy and politicize the issue. However, officials say that unlike other states, Delhi does not have a designated state guest house or bhavan to host guests and national and international delegations. And whenever required use the guest house as a cultural center also.
Kejriwal and his family lived in the bunglow for almost a decade from 2015. Following allegations of irregulartiies in its renovation and construction, the Directorate of Vigilance
had opened an investigation, and the BJP had sought to potray the so-called “Sheesh Mahal” as an example of the alleged corruption of the AAP government. During the 2025 election campaign, the BJP had displayed miniature replicas of the bunglow at its rallies and public meetings.
The renovation of the premises led to its built-up area increasing by more than a third from 1,397 sq m to 1,905 sq.m and the PWD had revised its preliminary estimates of the cost of renovation four times. A report by CAG put the cost of the renovation at Rs 33.66 crore, more than 340% higher than estimated.
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