New MPs start coming to Delhi

With the government deciding not to allow newly elected MPs to stay in five-star hotels, the landmark Western Court on Janpath has become a transit hostel for many parliamentarians.

The Western Court has stopped general bookings and will be serving only to new Lok Sabha members at least till May 30 when Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi will take oath for a second time.

Also, guest houses of every state and union territory have made arrangements for MPs who do not wish to stay in the Western Court.

As many as 33 MPs had checked into the Western Court till Monday evening and majority of them were from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

They include Hans Raj Hans and Tejasvi Surya, elected from North West Delhi and Bengaluru South respectively.

"I am speechless. I am thankful to Modiji. I am feeling nice being geared up to work for the people. I m working on a plan to prioritize work in my constituency," Hans Raj Hans told IANS.

There are 80 room sets in the new building and 20 in the old building of the Western Court.

"As of now, we have allotted rooms to 33 MPs. Food is being provided through ITDC (India Tourism Development Corp) canteen. However, liquor is not allowed," said an official who requested anonymity.

Not a single MP came to stay in the building after the 2014 election results were announced.

At Odisha Niwas, a total of seven MPs are residing - five are from the Bharatiya Janata Party and one each from Biju Janata Dal and Congress.

Notably, about 100 rooms have been made available here for the MPs till they are provided with official residences.

According to an official of the Madhya Pradesh Bhawan, eight rooms were booked till Monday evening.

The state has made arrangement for 20 newly-elected MPs at two places: one at Chanakyapuri and another at Vasant Kunj, officials said.

Assam Bhawan also saw the arrival of newly-elected lawmakers. But the officials refused to reveal details.

At Maharashtra Sadan, about a dozen MPs had come to Delhi after the announcement of results. However, all of them left for their constituencies by Monday morning.

Some MPs who visited Delhi in the past few days were seen at party officers or went sight-seeing.

--IANS

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