PM Modi names old Parliament ‘Samvidhan Sadan’ as MPs move to new building

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the iconic old Parliament building will be renamed Samvidhan Sadan (Constitution House), marking a historic moment in India’s parliamentary journey. The announcement was made during his final address from the old building, after which he led Members of Parliament on foot to the new Parliament building, which will now function as the official seat of the Indian legislature.

Calling the occasion auspicious as it coincided with Ganesh Chaturthi, the Prime Minister appealed to the Speakers of both Houses to consider giving the old structure a dignified identity rather than referring to it simply as the “old Parliament”. He said naming it Samvidhan Sadan would keep alive the legacy of the Constituent Assembly and the great leaders who shaped India’s Constitution within its walls. The old Parliament building, designed by British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, was completed in 1927 and is now 96 years old. Over the decades, the structure was found to be inadequate to meet modern parliamentary needs, prompting the construction of a new Parliament building.

Government sources said the historic structure will not be demolished but retrofitted to create functional spaces for parliamentary and official events. There are also indications that parts of the building could be converted into a museum. Earlier, while addressing the Lok Sabha, Modi paid tribute to “every brick” of the old Parliament and said MPs were entering the new building with renewed hope and confidence, carrying forward the democratic legacy of Samvidhan Sadan.