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Jharkhand Governor’s office renamed ‘Lok Bhavan’, sparks slugfest in state
“In light of the ministry of home affairs, Government of India’s letter No. 7/10/2025 dated November 25, and with the approval of the Governor, Jharkhand, the name of ‘Raj Bhavan’ located at Ranchi and Dumka will be officially called ‘Lok Bhavan’. For all official purposes, Raj Bhavan, Jharkhand, is henceforth known as Lok Bhavan, Jharkhand,” the notification issued under the signature of the additional chief secretary to the governor, Nitin Madan Kulkarni, read.
Jharkhand’s Raj Bhavan has been officially renamed ‘Lok Bhavan’, after a notification issued by Governor Santosh Gangwar’s secretariat in compliance with a directive from the Union ministry of home affairs.
“In light of the ministry of home affairs, Government of India’s letter No. 7/10/2025 dated November 25, and with the approval of the Governor, Jharkhand, the name of ‘Raj Bhavan’ located at Ranchi and Dumka will be officially called ‘Lok Bhavan’. For all official purposes, Raj Bhavan, Jharkhand, is henceforth known as Lok Bhavan, Jharkhand,” the notification issued under the signature of the additional chief secretary to the governor, Nitin Madan Kulkarni, read.
Meanwhile, soon after the announcement, the Congress issued a press statement, criticising the move.
“If the Raj Bhavan is called Lok Bhavan, then the Governor should also be elected by the public,” quipped Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary and media in-charge Rakesh Sinha in the statement.
The party also demanded a change in the Prime Minister’s name and termed the exercise “a futile effort.
The party said there was no point in changing names if it did not bring positive change.
“During his 11-year tenure, the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) changed the names of railway stations, roads and numerous schemes, but the country has not progressed on the path of development. Now that the name of the Prime Minister’s Office has been changed, the Prime Minister should also try changing his own name. Perhaps youth will find employment, inflation will decrease, the rupee, which has fallen to its lowest level against the dollar, will strengthen slightly, and farmers will receive the Minimum Support Price (MSP). If this does not happen, then what is the point of changing names?” Sinha said in the statement.
The party said the renaming exercise reflected an ideological shift and centralisation of power.
“This is not just a game of changing names, but an ideological shift and centralisation of power aimed at creating instability during opposition rule by connecting the Governor directly with the public,” Sinha said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president and Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi congratulated the Prime Minister on the immediate implementation of the decision in Jharkhand.
“The Modi government has consistently taken initiatives to transform power from a ruling perspective to public service. Whether it’s the decision to remove the red and yellow beacons from the vehicles of ministers and senior officials, or the designation of Rajpath as Kartavya Path, the Prime Minister’s residence as Lok Kalyan Marg, the Central Secretariat as Kartavya Bhavan, the Raj Bhavan as Lok Bhavan, and the Prime Minister’s Office as Seva Teerth, these decisions will strengthen democracy,” Marandi said.
Marandi said that this is not just a change of words but reflects the policy and intentions of the Modi government.
“The Prime Minister has decided to call himself Pradhan Sevak instead of Prime Minister. Replacing the word ‘Viklang’ with ‘Divyang’ shows how close the Prime Minister is to the sentiments of every citizen of India,” he said.
In a sweeping overhaul of official nomenclature, the Centre has renamed the Prime Minister’s Office as ‘Seva Tirth’, and Raj Bhavan and Raj Niwas across the country will now be known as ‘Lok Bhavan’ and ‘Lok Niwas’, respectively.
