Shillong, Dec 4: Meghalaya’s Raj Bhavan at Shillong has been officially renamed as ‘Lok Bhavan’. This is in line with the directive of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Several States and Union Territories (UT) across India have already renamed their respective Raj Bhavan and Raj Niwas.
“In pursuance of a communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India vide Memo No.7/10/2025 (Part) – M&G dated 25th November, 2025 and as per the directions of the Hon’ble Governor, Meghalaya, it is hereby notified that the “Raj Bhavan, Shillong” has been re-named as “Lok Bhavan, Shillong”,” a notification by the Governor’s Secretariat of Meghalaya said.
It further stated that ‘Raj Bhavan, Shillong’ shall henceforth be referred to only as ‘Lok Bhavan, Shillong’.
Meghalaya’s decision mirrors similar renaming initiatives across India, where several states have sought to shed colonial-era terminology associated with ‘Raj Bhavan’. The states of Telangana, Karnataka, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Gujarat and Tripura have already renamed their respective Raj Bhavan as Lok Bhavan, while Ladakh’s (UT) Raj Niwas is now called Lok Niwas.
Not just the Raj Bhavan and Raj Niwas, the name of Prime Minister’s Office has also been changed as part of the initiative to shed India’s colonial vestige. Prime Minister Narendra Modiji has renamed the Prime Minister’s Office as ‘Seva Tirth’.
The reason cited for this change in nomenclature, as per Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is to place “service and good governance above all”. Shah also called PM Modi “supreme leader of the government” who considers himself a “chief servant” and works for the people seven days a week and 24 hours a day.
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