Former Union minister Smriti Irani vacates official bungalow, meeting held to allocate accommodation to new Union ministers

Irani vacated the bungalow earlier this week, weeks after she was defeated by Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi parliamentary seat with a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes.

New Delhi: Four former Union ministers, including Smriti Irani, have vacated their official bungalow in Lutyens' Delhi, sources said on Thursday.

A high-level meeting was held on the allotment of bungalows to new ministers, they said.

The sources said Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal is likely to be allotted the 3, Krishna Menon Marg bungalow which was earlier occupied by former Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

The directorate of estates under the Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Ministry allots government bungalows to Union ministers.

Irani vacated her official bungalow at 28 Tughlak Crescent in Lutyens' Delhi earlier this week, weeks after she was defeated by Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi parliamentary seat with a margin of over 1.5 lakh votes.

The former women and child development minister was dubbed a giant slayer in 2019 after she defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from the seat.

"She (Irani) vacated her official residence earlier this week," an official said, adding that former ministers and MPs need to vacate their government accommodation within a month after a new government is formed.

Manohar Lal, whose ministry is mandated to allot bungalows to Union ministers, took oath as a Cabinet minister last month.

Union ministers are entitled to type VIII bungalows in Lutyens' Delhi.

Officials said that since one month has completed after the new government's formation, the directorate of estates will be starting sending notices to the former ministers, asking them to vacate the government accommodation.