The Kerala Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor, will be renamed Lok Bhavan on December 1.
Governor Rajendra Arlekar, who is currently in his home state of Goa, is expected to issue the formal notification on Monday after returning to Thiruvananthapuram.
Once issued, the official residence of the Governor will be known as Lok Bhavan, Kerala.
In a sweeping move to shed colonial-era terminology, the Union Home Ministry issued a directive on November 25 to all States and Union Territories to rename the official residences of Governors as “Lok Bhavan” and those of Lieutenant Governors as “Lok Niwas.”
Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar had originally proposed renaming all Raj Bhavans as Lok Bhavans during the Governors’ Conference held in 2024, in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu.
He argued that the redesignation would help bring the Governor’s establishment closer to the people, symbolising accessibility, transparency, and democratic participation.
The proposal was examined and finalised by a committee chaired by Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, who noted that the term “Raj Bhavan” carries a colonial imprint and should be replaced with a more democratic, people-centric title.
Assam became the first state to implement the name change, with Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya issuing the order on Friday. West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose followed on Saturday, renaming the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata as Lok Bhavan.