West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday implemented a central government directive and renamed the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata to 'Lok Bhavan' (People's House).
In an official notification, Bose stated that on March 27, 2023, President Droupadi Murmu had handed over a symbolic key of the then Raj Bhavan to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, at the request of the Governor, heralding a new era of the people's Raj Bhavan— The Jana Raj Bhavan.
"In pursuance of the communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs dated 25.11.2025, it is hereby notified that the name of the holdings of 'Raj Bhavan' in Kolkata, Flagstaff House and Darjeeling, has hereby been modified and renamed as 'Lok Bhavan'," the notification read. This change comes into force with immediate effect.
In a post on X, Bose elaborated on the motivation behind the change: "The 'Jana Raj Bhavan' conceptualisation by the then Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, was prompted by the urge to make the establishment alive to the needs of the people, their aspirations and hopes, their problems and challenges. Simultaneously, the imposing edifice was to shed its aura of 'awe and fear' and be open to people from all walks of life."
The Raj Bhavan, now renamed Lok Bhavan, serves as the Governor's official residence and also houses his office.
Bose noted the constructive, people-centric programmes initiated over the last three years. "A key element of the Jana Raj Bhavan initiative was its proactive role in the service of people — to be with them whenever such a need arose. Across the length and breadth of West Bengal, whenever there was a situation of exigency — be it violence, natural calamity, or even complaints of atrocities, Jana Raj Bhavan reached out to those in need," he said.
He confirmed that this decision is part of a national policy: "In tune with the transformational and inspirational leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that has ensured participation of people across all segments of society in the onward spectacular march towards Viksit Bharat, Raj Bhavan and Raj Niwas across the country have been uniformly decided to be renamed as Lok Bhavan and Lok Niwas respectively, as per a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on November 25, 2025."
Henceforth, the former Raj Bhavan holdings in West Bengal shall be named Lok Bhavan for all purposes. An official at the Governor's house told the media that official letterheads, name plates on the gates, and the website would all be changed accordingly to reflect the new designation.
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