New Delhi: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is under fire from the Opposition over a swimming pool in his official bungalow. Taking a dig at Dhami’s “Jal Mahal”—a play on Arvind Kejriwal’s “Sheesh Mahal”, a jibe coined by the BJP ahead of last year’s Delhi elections—the Congress has asked “how many crores” the CM spent on the “modern, all-weather” pool.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera posted a photograph, purportedly of this pool, on X Tuesday, saying: “Dhami ji’s Jal Mahal is giving an answer to Kejriwal’s Sheesh Mahal in Delhi. The people of Uttarakhand will demand an account soon.”
Last year, the BJP had released a video of Kejriwal’s erstwhile Civil Lines residence, calling it “Sheesh Mahal”, a “museum of corruption”, and a “luxury palace” of Kejriwal, in an attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief’s ‘common man’ image. AAP had lost Delhi to the BJP in the elections that came after.
Dhami had shifted to the CM’s official bungalow in 2021. Built over 10 acres, the residence was termed as jinxed by many as the previous three chief ministers were not able to complete their tenures.
दिल्ली में केजरीवाल के शीशमहल का जवाब दे रहा है धामी जी का ‘जलमहल’
धामी जी ने मुख्यमंत्री निवास में मॉडर्न ऑल वेदर स्विमिंग पूल पर कितने करोड़ रुपए खर्च किए? इसका हिसाब उत्तराखंड की जनता माँगेगी और जल्दी माँगेगी। pic.twitter.com/TtO7EaR4PJ
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) July 8, 2025
Uttarakhand Congress spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni told ThePrint: “The chief minister (Dhami) has made this Jal Mahal using public funds. In a state reeling under debt and where youth are not getting any jobs, we have a CM resorting to building such a swimming pool just to get rid of Vaastu defects.”
This shows Dhami is uncertain about his own tenure and the rumours about his removal have some weight, she added.
A senior Uttarakhand government official contacted by ThePrint said the swimming pool was part of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and is not new. “Needless controversy is being created, this swimming pool was part of the DPR. It is also linked to water harvesting and the building is a green building.”
A senior BJP leader said the Congress needs to stop playing low-level politics and adopt a more constructive and positive outlook.
“The questions raised by Congress and the Opposition regarding the construction of the CM residence are baseless. Congress is questioning the work of the development icon Narayan Dutt Tiwari. The architectural design of the CM House, which includes elements of traditional hill craftsmanship, was part of Tiwari ji’s vision. A DPR was prepared earlier, and in 2007, the then chief minister B.C. Khanduri laid its foundation stone,” said Manvir Singh Chauhan, media in-charge of the Uttarakhand BJP.
He added: “If construction was done using government funds for a government building, it was not for anyone’s personal house. During the Congress regime as well, the chief minister resided there and availed its facilities. This is not anyone’s private residence. However, it was during the Congress’s tenure that unnecessary expenditure and misuse of resources took place.”
Another BJP CM under fire
Dhami is not the only BJP chief minister facing Opposition barbs over ‘renovations’. The Delhi government Wednesday cancelled a renovation tender of Rs 60 lakh for Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s official residence, citing administrative reasons. The proposed renovation had evoked sharp criticism from the Opposition, with AAP calling it ‘Maya Mahal’.
The now-cancelled renovation plan for Gupta’s residential bungalow allegedly included extensive electrical upgrades, the installation of 14 air conditioners, televisions worth Rs 9 lakh, and light fixtures worth Rs 6 lakh. Gupta had been allotted two bungalows on Raj Niwas Marg by the Public Works Department, with one to serve as her residence and the other one for a camp office, which she inaugurated last week.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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