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Nearly seven years after it moved into its new headquarters on Deendayal Upadhyay Marg in Delhi in February 2018, on land given to it for the same, the BJP continues to occupy the 11, Ashoka Road, bungalow allotted to it earlier.
Now, with the Congress set to inaugurate its own new office on Kotla Marg, near the BJP office, on January 15, the party may not give up its existing office space, the bungalow at 24, Akbar Road, following the BJP’s example. This, government officials say, violates the Centre’s own policy on allotment of office space to national political parties.
A policy published by the Land and Development Office (L&DO) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on July 13, 2006, says the government has decided to allot land to recognised political parties for construction of office accommodation in Delhi, subject to availability.
The policy provides for allotment of land for all Election Commission-recognised national parties as well as state parties that have at least seven MPs across the two Houses of Parliament.
“In case political parties are in occupation of government bungalow(s)/suite(s) in Vithalbhai Patel House for the purpose of their office, they should vacate the same immediately on construction of their office building on the plot of land allotted to them, or within three years from the date of taking over vacant possession of the plot, whichever is earlier,” the policy states.
The party would have to pay a premium and an annual ground rent for the land, which would be given on lease and would not be eligible for conversion to a freehold property.
The document adds that “the allotment shall be liable to be rescinded/cancelled… if the allottee fails to make the payment of premium and ground rent or any other government dues in accordance with the terms of allotment/MOA (memorandum of agreement)/lease deed”.
The BJP was allotted a Type-VIII bungalow, the top-most category containing the largest government residential accommodations, at 11, Ashoka Road, for use as its party office in 1985. The party continued in the same office till 2014, when it stormed to power in the Lok Sabha elections. On August 20, 2017, the allotment of the bungalow was cancelled as land had been allotted by then to the party for construction of its new office, as per records of the MoHUA’s Directorate of Estates accessed through RTI.
Since then, while the party headquarters has shifted to the new location, some of its operations continue to be run out of the Ashoka Road premises.
The Congress began construction of its new headquarters, to be named Indira Bhawan, in 2009. It is on a plot of land on Deendayal Upadhyay Marg as well. To avoid the name of the BJP ideologue appearing in its address, the Congress chose to build its headquarters with the entrance falling on Kotla Marg.
The 24, Akbar Road, bungalow which held the Congress office so far became the headquarters of the party faction led by Indira Gandhi following a split in the Congress in 1978. Since then, the bungalow has served as the headquarters of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
Party sources say it is unlikely to vacate the bungalow as it moves into the new building, and may continue to hold some meetings on Akbar Road premises.
According to government sources, continued occupation of their bungalows by either the BJP or the Congress is a violation of policy. Sources said the decision on this would be made right at the top, and if and when it is decided to have the bungalows vacated, the parties would have to pay damages for the unauthorised occupation — unless the same is waived by the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation.
In 2022, then Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri had said that all parties would have to vacate the bungalows allotted to them if they have been allotted land as well. “It (evictions of political parties) is in process. It will involve all political parties. It’s in the pipeline,” Puri had said.
