Delhi got some respite from the blistering heat in the form of refreshing pre-monsoon rain. But the happiness was short-lived as it brought with chaos and mayhem. And it affected everyone from commoners to politicians.

All roads leading to Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav’s bungalow in the Lodhi Estate area of the national capital were inundated on Friday morning. When SP veteran stepped out to start for the Parliament, his staff had to carry him to the car.

“I had to do all this to go to Parliament. We came out in a car, then people lifted us to the car,” he told reporters.

A video from the morning shows his entire bungalow filled with water. “We got the flooring done just two days ago. There has been a loss of lakhs.”

He also slammed the MCD for its lack of preparedness. “They did not clean the drains despite rains being late this year.” He noted that long-serving NDMC employees were aware of where the drains were clogged. “If drains were cleaned, this situation would never occur,” he said.

He also pointed out that “next to us is the bungalow of the member of Niti Aayog, who has the status of a state minister. Then there are ministers. There is the Minister of State for Home Affairs, under whom NDMC is. There are army generals. There are navy admirals, but it has become difficult for people to move out.”

Congress leader Manish Tewari had to wade through water to reach the parliament. Sharing a picture of the flooded lawn at his residence, he posted on X, “When it rains, it pours.”

Thiruvanthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor  also posted a video of the street outside his Delhi home sunk under waist-deep water. “”This is the corner just outside my home in Lutyens’ Delhi. Woke up to find my entire home under a foot of water – every room. Carpets and furniture, indeed anything on the ground, ruined. Apparently, the stormwater drains in the neighbourhood are all clogged so the water had no place to go. And they switched off the electricity at 6 am for fear of electrocuting people. Warned my Parliament colleagues that I might not make it there without a boat. But the city managed to pump water out of the roads and I did arrive in time!” the Congress leader posted on X.

BJP councillor Ravinder Singh Negi, a resident of Vinod Nagar in east Delhi, was seen rowing an inflatable boat on a flooded street to protest against the “collapsing” infrastructure in the national capital.

He held the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government responsible for the mess.

“All PWD drains are overflowing. They didn’t get it cleaned ahead of monsoon. This has led to waterlogging…Vinod Nagar is submerged,” he said.

Delhi received over 230 mm of rainfall between Thursday and today, marking the highest 24-hour rainfall in June since 1936. The rain brought life to a standstill in several parts of the city and adjoining regions. Inundated roads, slow-moving traffic in most areas of the city, and submerged cars made it a challenge for office-goers.

The roof of the departure complex of Delhi Airport’s Terminal 1 collapsed this morning, killing one and injuring six others.

All departures from Terminal 1, which only operates domestic flights, have been suspended till midnight, the civil aviation ministry said.

At the New Delhi Railway Station, commuters waded through knee-high water. Metro stations in some sections also faced waterlogging.

The monsoon is set to arrive in Delhi by the weekend. Last year, monsoon hit Delhi on June 26.