Post-retirement, Prez Kovind likely to get bungalow once assigned to Ram Vilas Paswan

The bungalow where former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan lived for three decades before his death in 2020 is likely to be the new residence of President Ram Nath Kovind after he retires next month, sources said on Thursday.

The bungalow where former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan lived for three decades before his death in 2020 is likely to be the new residence of President Ram Nath Kovind after he retires next month, sources said on Thursday. They said the 12 Janpath bungalow is being readied for Kovind, and that his daughter visited the accommodation recently. Initially, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had been allotted the bungalow, one of the biggest in the Lutyen’s Delhi, but he has now been assigned one on the Prithviraj Road.

''Although 12 Janpath bungalow has not been allotted yet to anyone officially, it is being readied as the new residence of President Ram Nath Kovind who will shift to the new facility after his retirement,'' a source told PTI. Kovind's term ends on July 24. Following an eviction notice, Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag had vacated the bungalow in April, where his father had stayed for over three decades. The house was used for holding the party’s organisational meetings and other related events.

The LJP split into two following differences between Chirag Paswan and his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras after the death of former Ram Vilas Paswan. Both are locked in a power tussle for the LJP’s leadership. Ram Vilas Paswan, one of the country’s most prominent Dalit leaders, died at the age of 74 in October 2020. He had been a minister in central governments headed by parties of contrasting ideological persuasions, ranging from the Janata Dal to the Congress and the BJP, since 1989.