Agartala, Nov 30 (NationPress) Following the trend set by West Bengal, the Tripura Raj Bhavan will officially be renamed as ‘Lok Bhavan’, starting Monday, as announced by Governor N. Indrasena Reddy on Sunday.

The Governor confirmed that the transformation from Raj Bhavan to Lok Bhavan is set to take place on December 1. This name change has been sanctioned and will be implemented from Monday, Reddy informed the press after launching the Mobile Health Care Unit Project of Sewa International and REC Foundation at Raj Bhavan.

In his statement, the Governor emphasized that this decision is made in honor of democracy. He also mentioned that ordinary citizens will have the opportunity to visit ‘Lok Bhavan’ during specific hours.

“The term Raj Bhavan suggested an association with a royal family or monarchy. Given that we now operate under a democratic system with elected officials, it was appropriate to rename Raj Bhavan to Lok Bhavan,” the Governor remarked.

An official noted that from now on, the Raj Bhavan premises in Agartala will be referred to as Lok Bhavan for all intents and purposes.

“All official documents and letterheads related to the Governor's residence will feature ‘Lok Bhavan’ instead of ‘Raj Bhavan’,” the official added, stating that nameplates, signage, the website, and social media will also reflect this change.

In Kolkata, the ruling Trinamool Congress asserted that the name change from Raj Bhavan to Lok Bhavan occurred without consulting the West Bengal government.

“With the state Assembly elections approaching in 2026, this initiative began in West Bengal. The directive to rename Raj Bhavan applies nationwide. Why was it initiated in West Bengal first? Does this imply the Governor intends to establish a parallel governance?” questioned Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.

The renaming of the Raj Bhavan in West Bengal was implemented on Saturday. The Governor's House, previously known as Raj Bhavan, will now be identified as Lok Bhavan.

This change was proposed by the current Governor C. V. Ananda Bose, who aimed to remove the colonial undertones associated with the Governor's title. Subsequently, a proposal was forwarded from the Governor's office to President Droupadi Murmu for approval, which was ultimately granted, as per the notification issued from the Governor's House on Friday.

The historic Pushpabanta Palace, also known as Kunjaban Palace, which functioned as the Raj Bhavan until 2018, was constructed in 1917 by Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya Debbarma Bahadur. The Governor's residence was later relocated to the Capital Complex outside the city.

This year, the Tripura government entered into a lease agreement with a private entity to transform the 108-year-old Pushpabanta Palace in Agartala into a 5-star hotel.

Numerous organizations, including factions of the ruling BJP’s ally Tipra Motha Party, have protested against the Tripura government's decision to privatize the historic Pushpabanta Palace and convert it into a luxurious hotel.