‘Sheesh Mahal Damaged AAP’s Image’: Raghav Chadha Explains Delhi Defeat After BJP Switch

Raghav Chadha argued that the issue wasn't just a political embarrassment but one that struck at the core of AAP’s anti-corruption image.

Raghav Chadha said a similar controversy may now be emerging around Kejriwal’s new residence in Lodhi Estate.

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Raghav Chadha blames 'Sheesh Mahal' for AAP's 2025 Delhi election loss.
• Alleged lavish renovation of Kejriwal's home damaged AAP's public image.
• Chadha suggests a new 'Sheesh Mahal 2' controversy is emerging.

A day after joining the BJP, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha said the controversy surrounding the alleged “Sheesh Mahal” played a major role in the Aam Aadmi Party’s crushing defeat in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections.

Chadha, who crossed over to the BJP on Friday along with six other AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, said the row over former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence severely damaged the party’s public image.

“If there was one major reason for the Aam Aadmi Party's loss in the Delhi elections, the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ was one of the main reasons,” Chadha said, adding that the controversy had “badly damaged the image of AAP”.

‘Moral Credibility Was Eroded’

Chadha argued that the issue was not merely a political embarrassment but one that struck at the core of AAP’s anti-corruption image.

He has previously said that he left the party and remained largely inactive in recent years because, “I did not want to be a part of their sins.”

What Is the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ Controversy?

The term “Sheesh Mahal”, Hindustani for ‘glass palace’, was coined by the BJP to criticise the renovation of Kejriwal’s official bungalow at 6 Flagstaff Road in Delhi’s Civil Lines.

The BJP alleged that taxpayer money worth crores was spent on designer interiors, Italian marble and luxury fittings at the residence while Kejriwal was chief minister.

AAP denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated and accusing the BJP of misrepresenting construction costs.

Narrative Took Hold Before Delhi Polls

Kejriwal vacated the bungalow after resigning as chief minister in September 2024 following his release from Tihar Jail in the Delhi excise policy case.

However, by then, the issue had become a central campaign plank for the BJP.

In the February 2025 Assembly elections, the BJP swept to a landslide victory, reducing AAP to a fraction of its earlier strength. Kejriwal himself lost the New Delhi constituency.

Chadha Flags ‘Sheesh Mahal 2’ Allegations

Chadha said a similar controversy may now be emerging around Kejriwal’s new residence in Lodhi Estate.

Referring to fresh allegations by Delhi minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, Chadha said: “Not even a year has passed since the Delhi elections ended, and Sheesh Mahal Part Two has come.”

“I wonder how the few remaining good workers of AAP will answer people on the streets when asked about this,” he added.

AAP Rejects Fresh Charges

Photographs released by Verma allegedly showing lavish construction at the Lodhi Estate bungalow were dismissed by AAP as fake.

Senior AAP leader Atishi challenged the BJP to also open the homes of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the Lieutenant Governor for public scrutiny and “let the voters decide”.

Crisis Deepens for AAP

Chadha’s remarks come amid the biggest organisational crisis in AAP’s 13-year history.

The simultaneous defection of seven Rajya Sabha MPs, two-thirds of the party’s strength in the Upper House, means the rebel MPs will not lose their seats under anti-defection provisions.