AAP to move out following neighbours' complaint

41 Hanuman Road off Connaught Place in the heart of the national capital might no longer be the AAP's address as it could move out of the two-storey building that was its home for 18 months - because the neighbours are complaining, party sources said.

Following "a few informal complaints of noise and disturbances" - mainly due to the large media presence - from the inhabitants of Hanuman Road, a residential area, the party decided to look out for a new office, the sources told IANS.

With a preference for in central Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) already has some areas on its list, which also include Connaught Place - one of the world's most expensive commercial areas.

In fact, the party had almost found an office in the Rajendra Nagar area but the "deal did not work out".

"We really liked an office in Rajendra Nagar but the owner wanted to dispose it off. We were looking to take a place on rent," a party member, tasked with finding the location, told IANS.

Sited on a narrow road dotted with bungalows, party's present office is a residential building owned by an NRI who let AAP use for a token monthly rental of Re1.

Until the AAP suffered setback in the just-concluded Lok Sabha election, its office and adjoining areas were abuzz with journalists and party workers. Outdoor Broadcasting (OB) vans of TV channels used to be stationed there.

A party leader told IANS that the AAP's "official headquarters" at Kaushambi in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh will also be merged with the new office in Delhi.

Interestingly, the urban development ministry had offered a choice of three plots to the AAP on the Mehrauli-Badarpur Road in south Delhi after it was recognised as a state party following its stunning debut in Delhi assembly elections last December.

The party won 28 seats in the 70-member house and formed the government with the outside support of the Congress.

However, after a 49-day stint, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal threw in the towel over the stalling of the Lokpal bill in the assembly.

"We were given a choice of three plots and we even finalised one plot. But we are yet to hear from the ministry" another party member told IANS.

A state party is entitled to getting 500 sq meter plot, he added.

Asked how the party, which claims to be cash-strapped, can afford a high-rent office in a prime location, an AAP member said: "We will ask our supporters to donate the money for the rent."