On the first day of December 2025, a short notification from the Governor’s Secretariat in Dehradun quietly changed something that had been around for decades. The two grand official residences of Uttarakhand’s Governor – one in the state capital and the famous summer retreat in Nainital – are no longer called Raj Bhavan. From now on, they’re Lok Bhavan. Just like that.
Raj means rule, empire, royalty. Lok means people. The switch isn’t complicated: the Government of India wants to wipe the last traces of colonial swagger from official names. The Ministry of Home Affairs sent letters to every state and Union Territory last week asking them to drop “Raj Bhavan”and “Raj Niwas” and adopt “Lok Bhavan” instead. Uttarakhand wasted no time and became one of the first to make it official.
Who’s Already Made the Jump?
By December 3, a total of eight states—West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Gujarat, Odisha, Tripura, and Bihar (now using the title “Bihar Lok Bhavan”)—along with the Union Territory of Ladakh, which has adopted the name “Lok Niwas,” have already implemented the change, while Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Jammu & Kashmir are currently finalizing the administrative process.
What Actually Changes?
Nothing about the Governor’s powers. The building in Dehradun will still host Republic Day parades, and the Nainital one will still open its gardens for the Governor’s summer tea parties. But the signboards are coming down, letterheads are being reprinted, and the official website is getting a new name. Staff say they’ve already been told to answer the phone with “Lok Bhavan” from now on.
Some governors are taking it further. In a couple of states they’ve announced more public events – school visits, NGO meetings, even open-house days – to match the “people’s house” tag. Whether that actually happens in Uttarakhand remains to be seen.
The Reactions Are Exactly What You’d Expect
Supporters love it. “Finally, a name that sounds like 2025, not 1825,” one Dehradun college student posted on X. BJP leaders are calling it another step in “decol onising India.”
The opposition is rolling its eyes. Congress and regional parties say renaming buildings won’t fix roads, hospitals, or the endless tussles between governors and elected governments. “Change the mindset, not the nameplate,” Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin tweeted. In Bihar, a professor joked, “Next they’ll rename the Governor himself Lokpal and call it a day.”
Does a Name Really Matter?
Maybe not if your bus is late or the hospital has no medicine. But names carry weight. When kids in Uttarkashi or Almora grow up hearing “Lok Bhavan” instead of “Raj Bhavan,” the idea that power belongs to the people – not some distant ruler – sinks in a little deeper.
For now, two beautiful old buildings in the Himalayas have a new name. Whether they become more open, more welcoming places is up to the people who walk through their gates next.
Sources :
• Times of India – “Raj Bhavans in Doon, Nainital renamed Lok Bhavans after Centre nudge”
• The Hindu – “Centre asks states to rename Raj Bhavan as Lok Bhavan”
• Hindustan Times – “8 states switch to Lok Bhavan, more to follow”
• NDTV – “From Raj to Lok: The quiet renaming of Governor houses”
• Official notification, Governor’s Secretariat, Uttarakhand
