In Jammu & Kashmir, renaming Raj Bhavan as Lok Bhavan is a formal, symbolic move that aligns with a nationwide policy to remove colonial-era nomenclature from top official residences. The change has been presented as a reaffirmation of democratic values and service-oriented governance. Its practical effects on local politics or administration are minimal, but its impression is to reinforce the message that these historic buildings are now conceived as people’s houses – a small but deliberate stamp of popular sovereignty on government institutions
In December 2025, the Jammu & Kashmir administration officially rechristened its Raj Bhavan (the Lieutenant Governor’s official residence) as Lok Bhavan. An order issued by the Lt Governor’s Secretariat stated that “henceforth, Raj Bhavan in Jammu and Kashmir would be referred to only as Lok Bhavan, Jammu and Kashmir”. This change took immediate effect upon announcement. The notification makes clear that the renaming follows a Union Home Ministry directive and is being implemented “as per the direction of the Lieutenant Governor”. In practice, it means all signage, stationery and official references to the building and office have been updated from “Raj Bhawan” to “Lok Bhawan” for Jammu & Kashmir’s governor-house. (Raj Bhavan in Jammu & Kashmir serves as the Lt Governor’s residence and office.)
The shift to “Lok Bhavan” in J&K is explicitly linked to the Centre’s policy. The Home Ministry’s Nov 25, 2025 memo instructed all states and UTs to shed the colonial-era name “Raj Bhavan” in favor of a people-centric title. Jammu & Kashmir’s official order cites that memo and the LG’s approval. The announcement notes that the Ladakh UT’s Raj Niwas had been renamed Lok Niwas two days earlier, under the same policy. In fact, Ladakh’s Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta had hailed that change as “a historic moment… symbolising our deep commitment to people-centric governance and inclusive development”. The J&K move is of the same spirit: an official statement explains it is meant to replace “colonial” nomenclature with one that signifies people’s ownership of the institution.
In practical terms, Kashmir’s new Lok Bhavan remains the same two-storey palatial building and grounds in Srinagar (summer capital) and in Jammu (winter capital); only its name has changed. No staff or functions of the LG’s office are altered. Instead, the renaming serves a symbolic purpose. It emphasizes that the highest office in the Union Territory belongs to “Lok” (the people) rather than a relic of royal or colonial rule. As Kerala’s Governor Rajendra Arlekar noted in a similar renaming, the term “Raj Bhavan” carries a “colonial mindset” and “imprint” – a perception the new name intends to dispel.
J&K’s change was part of a wider renaming campaign. Following the MHA letter, at least eight states and one union territory had already renamed their Governor/Lt Governor residences by early December 2025. Key examples include:
West Bengal: On Nov 29, 2025, Governor C.V. Ananda Bose issued a notification declaring the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata (and the Flagstaff House in Darjeeling) to be renamed Lok Bhavan. Bose noted that this follows the central directive, and recalled that in 2023 he had symbolically opened the Raj Bhavan to the people as “Jana Raj Bhavan” (People’s Raj Bhavan).
Kerala: Governor Arlekar announced on Dec 1, 2025 that the Kerala Raj Bhavan is now Lok Bhavan. He said the change marks a milestone “from a ‘colonial mindset’ to a democratic one,” adding that the Raj Bhavan has in recent years taken initiatives to open its doors to the public. (Arlekar had been a key proponent of this renaming idea at the 2022 Governors’ Conference.)
Tamil Nadu: On Dec 1, 2025, the Governor’s office announced Tamil Nadu’s Raj Bhavan was officially renamed Lok Bhavan. A PTI report quotes Governor R.N. Ravi’s office saying this reinforces “the ethos of a people-centric democracy” and drops colonial nomenclature, carrying forward Raj Bhavan’s commitment to public participation.
Other States: Assam, Odisha, Gujarat and Tripura have also effected the change. For instance, media reports confirm these states adopted the Lok Bhavan nomenclature in the days following the MHA letter, aligning with the nationwide directive.
Uttarakhand: The hill state formally renamed its Raj Bhavans in Dehradun and Nainital as Lok Bhavans. A state notification (Dec 1, 2025) and subsequent press reports confirm this step, which officials said highlights the “people-centric” role of the Governor’s institutions.
Punjab: On Dec 5, 2025, Punjab’s Governor’s Secretariat issued a notification that “Punjab Raj Bhavan” will henceforth be known as Lok Bhavan, Punjab. The order explicitly followed the Home Ministry’s Nov 25 letter and framed the change as replacing a colonial-era title with one reflecting democratic ownership.
Union Territories (Lt Governor’s Houses): Beyond Ladakh and J&K, Delhi’s Raj Niwas (LG’s residence) has been rechristened Lok Niwas, and Chandigarh’s administrator similarly changed the nomenclature. Thus all Lieutenant Governor buildings have become “Lok Niwas,” just as all Governors’ houses became “Lok Bhavan” nationwide.
In sum, by early December 2025 every Raj Bhavan or Raj Niwas in India was in the process of being renamed under the central policy. Official press releases note that all official stationery, signage and correspondence were to be updated with the new names. The visible impact in each state is largely minimal (a changed signboard or letterhead), but the collective pattern sends a clear message.
The government presents this renaming as more than cosmetic. Home Minister Amit Shah, for example, linked it to Prime Minister Modi’s vision of governance. In a public message he said that rebranding the PMO as “Seva Tirth” and Governors’ houses as “Lok Bhavan” marks an important milestone in India’s development “by placing service and good governance above all”. Official statements (cited via ANI) called it a cultural and moral shift: “governance is moving from satta (power) to seva (service), from authority to responsibility,” and the renaming reflects a “shift in mindset”. In this narrative, “Lok” (‘the people’) replaces “Raj” (literally “rule” or “kingdom”), underlining that the Governor’s House is now conceived as belonging to the people, not a relic of monarchy or colonial rule.
Some officials and commentators emphasize the historical context. As the Hindustan Times noted, Bengal’s Raj Bhavan was built in 1803 as the British Government House for Bengal, and at least 23 Viceroys lived there until 1911. Under independent India it continued to be called Raj Bhavan until now. By resurrecting “Government House” as “Lok Bhavan” (People’s House), the new name consciously sheds an old imperial legacy. Governors like R.N. Ravi have argued that “Raj Bhavan” carried a colonial imprint and that replacing it is a step toward democratizing institutions.
Reactions and Critique: Opinion is divided. Supporters say the move reinforces the democratic character of the office. For instance, West Bengal’s Governor Bose saw it as inspired by PM Modi’s emphasis on participatory governance, building “Lok Kalyan” (public welfare) over “raj” (rule). Similarly, Kerala’s Arlekar appealed to citizens to support the spirit of Lok Bhavan and uphold its meaning.
However, critics (including some in J&K’s political circles) have questioned the practical impact. Opposition leaders in Kashmir have suggested that real empowerment and rights matter more than building names. In social media comments, J&K’s own Chief Minister Omar Abdullah remarked that a name change “won’t matter” unless accompanied by substantive policy changes (e.g. on reservation or autonomy) – essentially calling it a symbolic gesture rather than a solution to local problems. (He noted that his government had forwarded its own decisions to Lok Bhavan, underscoring that the building’s name is not the source of power in the UT.) In other words, many say the renaming is meaningful only as a signal; actual outcomes in public service and development are what truly count.
The Lok Bhavan renaming is part of a string of similar initiatives by the Narendra Modi government to “reclaim” public spaces and terms. Examples include renaming Rajpath to Kartavya Path (Path of Duty) in 2022, and the Prime Minister’s residence address to Lok Kalyan Marg. All these changes use Sanskritic or Hindi words with positive connotations (duty, service, people’s welfare) to replace colonial or bureaucratic terms. Proponents argue this helps cultivate a culture of public service and national pride. Critics argue it is symbolic “drama” and distracts from governance issues. In any case, the Lok Bhavan renaming underscores an ongoing effort to rebrand Indian democracy in more populist terms. It may have limited immediate impact on governance in Kashmir or elsewhere, but it signals an ideological stance: that authority now explicitly belongs to the “people” (lok) rather than to an inherited “raja” legacy.

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