Nagaland, Mizoram rename Raj Bhavan as Lok Bhavan

Kohima: As per the communications from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Raj Bhavans in Mizoram and Nagaland have been renamed as ‘Lok Bhavan’ from Tuesday.

The Raj Bhavans in Assam and Tripura were renamed as ‘Lok Bhavan’ from Monday. Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lt. General K.T. Parnaik (Retd.) is now out of station, and Arunachal Raj Bhavan’s names will be changed as soon as he returns, an official said.

However, the Raj Bhavans in the remaining Northeastern states are yet to adopt the new name for the Governors’ official residences. An official statement in Aizawl said that the official residence of the Governor of Mizoram, known as Raj Bhavan, has been renamed as ‘Lok Bhavan’, Mizoram, with immediate effect.

“According to a notification issued on Tuesday  by the Governor’s Secretariat in Aizawl, the change follows a communication received from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, on November 25, and directions from the Hon’ble Governor of Mizoram. The notification states that the institution ‘Raj Bhavan, Mizoram’ shall henceforth be officially referred to as “Lok Bhavan, Mizoram,” the statement said.

Tripura Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu earlier said that the decision to rename the Raj Bhavan to ‘Lok Bhavan’ has been taken as a mark of respect to democracy.

“With the name Raj Bhavan, there was an impression that it belonged to a royal dynasty or a king. Now that democracy prevails and governments are elected through a democratic system, that’s why Raj Bhavan has been renamed Lok Bhavan,” the Governor had told the media.

An official said that from now on, the Raj Bhavan holdings in Tripura's capital Agartala shall be named Lok Bhavan for all purposes.

"The official letterheads and all other papers relating to the Governor’s house will also have 'Lok Bhavan' instead of 'Raj Bhavan',” the official said, adding that the name plates and all signage on the gates and everywhere, the website and social media will also be changed accordingly.

The historic mansion Pushpabanta (or Pushpavanta) Palace, also known as Kunjaban Palace, which served as the Raj Bhavan until 2018, was built in 1917 by the then Tripura king Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya Debbarma Bahadur.

In 2018, the Governor’s house was shifted to the Capital Complex area on the outskirts of the city. The Tripura government, earlier this year, signed a lease agreement with a private company to make the 108-year-old Pushpabanta Palace in Agartala a 5-star hotel.

Various organisations, including the frontal wings of the ruling BJP’s ally Tipra Motha Party, staged a series of protests opposing the Tripura government's move to privatise the iconic Pushpabanta Palace and convert it into a five-star hotel by a private group.