Why the Union Govt has asked Congress to vacate two bungalows in its possession on Delhi’s Akbar Road and Raisina Road

Political parties cannot keep Govt-allotted bungalows for more than three years after they have taken possession of land to build their own buildings. But both the BJP and Congress have done so.

The Union government has sent eviction notices to the Congress party asking it to vacate its 24 Akbar Road office and the headquarters of the Indian Youth Congress at 5 Raisina Road, by Saturday (March 28), Congress leaders said on Wednesday.

The notices, which are dated March 13, were received recently, a Congress leader said. The party is considering moving court against the eviction notices, the leader added.

Under a 2006 policy of the Land and Development Office (L&DO) of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), national political parties could be allotted land for building their own offices. If they accepted the allotment, the parties would have three years from the date of taking possession of the land to vacate any bungalows or other premises that may have been allotted to them earlier.

The Congress began construction on the plot allotted to the party on Deendayal Upadhyay Marg in 2009. The building, Indira Bhawan, was completed and inaugurated as the new Congress headquarters in 2025.

However, the Congress has continued to retain the premises at both Akbar Road – which has been its headquarters since 1978 – and Raisina Road.

According to records of the Directorate of Estates under MoHUA, accessed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the allotment of three Type-VIII bungalows to the Congress (5 Raisina Road, 24 Akbar Road, and 26 Akbar Road) was cancelled on June 26, 2013.

The party has since vacated the 26 Akbar Road property, which used to house the office of the Seva Dal.

The BJP too, had retained its 11 Ashoka Road office for some years after the cancellation of the allotment on August 20, 2017.

The party had constructed and moved to its new office on DDU Marg in 2018. The party had, however, retained its 11 Ashoka Road premises till 2024, sources in the government said. It was subsequently allotted to a BJP MP.

The L&DO’s July 13, 2006 policy, which is applicable to all Election Commission-recognised national parties as well as state parties that have at least seven MPs across the two Houses of Parliament, says:

“In case political parties are in occupation of government bungalow(s)/suite(s)…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 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”.

According to government sources, the continued occupation of their bungalows by both the BJP and the Congress amounted to a violation of the 2006 policy. In 2022, then Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said that all parties would have to vacate the bungalows allotted to them if they had 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 at the time.

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The Union government has sent eviction notices to the Congress party asking it to vacate its 24 Akbar Road office and the headquarters of the Indian Youth Congress at 5 Raisina Road, by Saturday (March 28), Congress leaders said on Wednesday.

The notices, which are dated March 13, were received recently, a Congress leader said. The party is considering moving court against the eviction notices, the leader added.

Under a 2006 policy of the Land and Development Office (L&DO) of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), national political parties could be allotted land for building their own offices. If they accepted the allotment, the parties would have three years from the date of taking possession of the land to vacate any bungalows or other premises that may have been allotted to them earlier.

The Congress began construction on the plot allotted to the party on Deendayal Upadhyay Marg in 2009. The building, Indira Bhawan, was completed and inaugurated as the new Congress headquarters in 2025.

However, the Congress has continued to retain the premises at both Akbar Road – which has been its headquarters since 1978 – and Raisina Road.

According to records of the Directorate of Estates under MoHUA, accessed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the allotment of three Type-VIII bungalows to the Congress (5 Raisina Road, 24 Akbar Road, and 26 Akbar Road) was cancelled on June 26, 2013.

The party has since vacated the 26 Akbar Road property, which used to house the office of the Seva Dal.

The BJP too, had retained its 11 Ashoka Road office for some years after the cancellation of the allotment on August 20, 2017.

The party had constructed and moved to its new office on DDU Marg in 2018. The party had, however, retained its 11 Ashoka Road premises till 2024, sources in the government said. It was subsequently allotted to a BJP MP.

The L&DO’s July 13, 2006 policy, which is applicable to all Election Commission-recognised national parties as well as state parties that have at least seven MPs across the two Houses of Parliament, says:

“In case political parties are in occupation of government bungalow(s)/suite(s)…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 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”.

According to government sources, the continued occupation of their bungalows by both the BJP and the Congress amounted to a violation of the 2006 policy. In 2022, then Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said that all parties would have to vacate the bungalows allotted to them if they had 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 at the time.