Bengal guv renames Raj Bhavan as Lok Bhavan, implements central directive
Times of India | 30 November 2025
Kolkata: Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose on Saturday implemented a central govt directive and renamed the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata to Lok Bhavan.
The neo-classical building — constructed between 1799 and 1803 that houses 60 rooms covering 84,000 sqft and sits on a 27-acre plot in central Kolkata — is an adaptation of the plan of Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire, which was built for Lord Scarsdale, the great-great-grandfather of Lord Curzon of Kedleston. It currently serves as the Bengal governor's official residence and also houses his office.
This is the third time that the Raj Bhavan is being christened, the last two coming in a span of just over two years. The prestigious address was known as Government House prior to Independence.
After being named Raj Bhavan in Aug 1947. on March 27, 2023, President Droupadi Murmu handed over a symbolic key of the Raj Bhavan to Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, on the request of the governor, heralding a new era of people's Raj Bhavan: the Jana Raj Bhavan.
"In pursuance of the communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs, it is hereby notified that the name of the holdings of ‘Raj Bhavan' in Kolkata, Flagstaff House in Barrackpore and Darjeeling, has hereby been modified and renamed as ‘Lok Bhavan'," stated the notification that came into force with immediate effect on Saturday.
In a post on X, Bose said: "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. During the last three years, several constructive people-centric programmes have been initiated..."
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 MHA on Nov 25, 2025.
"Henceforth, the erstwhile Raj Bhavan holdings in West Bengal shall be named Lok Bhavan for all purposes. Letterheads, name plates on gates and the website have all been changed to reflect the new name," a Lok Bhavan official said.