Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been allotted a government bungalow at 81 Lodhi Estate, marking her return to Lutyens’ Delhi five years after being asked to vacate her long-time residence. The move follows her recent election to the Lok Sabha from Wayanad, Kerala, and reinstates her in Delhi’s high-security political core.
The Type-6B bungalow, which was previously being used as the office for Sharad Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) after the party’s 2023 split, has now been reassigned to Gandhi by the Directorate of Estates, under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
A Long-Debated Move
Priyanka Gandhi’s return to official accommodation in Delhi comes after a drawn-out housing issue that began in July 2020, when she was served an eviction notice for her then-residence at 35 Lodhi Estate. The government cited the withdrawal of her Special Protection Group (SPG) security as the reason, stating that her new Z+ security—provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs—did not automatically entitle her to government housing.
The eviction ended her nearly two-decade stay at the Lodhi Estate home and was criticized by Congress as an act of political vendetta at the time.
Temporary Stay and Renovation Work
Since vacating 35 Lodhi Estate, Gandhi has been living at G-80 Sujan Singh Park, a private residence on Humayun Road. According to a Congress leader quoted by Hindustan Times, renovation work is currently underway at her newly allotted bungalow at 81 Lodhi Estate. However, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has not publicly confirmed whether any recent upgrades have taken place.
Estate records show that the bungalow was last refurbished in 2018, part of the routine maintenance for central government accommodations.
Sule’s Gesture Smoothed the Way
A key detail in the transition involves NCP-Sharad Pawar leader Supriya Sule, who had been using 81 Lodhi Estate as office space. A person close to Sule said she vacated the bungalow about two months ago as a “goodwill gesture”, allowing the property to be reallotted to Priyanka Gandhi.
“Sule gave up the office space so that Gandhi could get it, because otherwise, as a first-time MP, she would’ve been given a small flat and would have also had to pay for the security,” the source told HT, referring to the complexities of housing entitlements and the additional logistics needed for high-level security.
Back at the Center of Power
The allotment of 81 Lodhi Estate is more than just a housing shift. It reflects Priyanka Gandhi’s growing role in national politics, especially after her 2024 general election win from Wayanad, a seat formerly held by her brother Rahul Gandhi.
Her return to a prominent address in Lutyens’ Delhi cements her position as a full-time parliamentarian and signals her deeper involvement in both legislative affairs and party strategy. With Congress aiming to rebuild its presence nationally, the move could not be more timely, or symbolic.
