Kerala To Become Keralam, Union Cabinet Sets Renaming Process In Motion Weeks Before Polls

It’s official now: Kerala is set to be officially renamed as Keralam, the Malayalam-language name by which the state is traditionally known among its people. The alteration received approval at a Union Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister.

The change of name will take effect only after the constitutional procedure is completed.

The President will first refer the bill to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for its views. After this step, and upon the President’s recommendation, the bill can be introduced in Parliament.

It must then be passed by both Houses of Parliament and receive Presidential assent before the name is officially changed from “Kerala” to “Keralam.”

It remains unclear whether the government will convene a special session of the Kerala Legislative Assembly to consider the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 once it is referred by the President under Article 3 of the Constitution.

The Assembly was dispersed today, marking what is likely the final sitting of the current House. Whether the government will reconvene the existing Assembly before the end of its term, or leave the matter to the next Assembly to express its views on the Bill, is yet to be indicated.

The move follows a resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly urging the Union government to amend the Constitution to reflect the change. The state government had argued that while “Kerala” is the anglicised version used in official records, “Keralam” more accurately represents the linguistic and cultural identity of the Malayalee people.

Following the Union Cabinet’s approval, the constitutional process to rename the State of Kerala as Keralam will now move to the next stage under Article 3 of the Constitution of India.

As per procedure, the President will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for expressing its views, in accordance with the proviso to Article 3. Once the Assembly communicates its , the President’s formal recommendation will be obtained for introducing the Bill in Parliament to effect the change of name from “Kerala” to “Keralam”.

The move traces its origins to a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly two years ago, urging the Centre to initiate steps to correct what it described as a historical inconsistency. The resolution noted:

“The name of our State is ‘Keralam’ in the Malayalam language. States were formed on the basis of language on the 1st day of November, 1956. Kerala Piravi Day is also celebrated on November 1. Since the time of the National Independence Struggle, there has been a strong demand for the formation of a United Kerala for Malayalam-speaking people. However, in the First Schedule to the Constitution, the name of our State is recorded as ‘Kerala’. This Assembly unanimously appeals to the Central Government to take urgent steps as per Article 3 of the Constitution to modify the name as ‘Keralam’.”

Subsequently, the Government of Kerala formally requested the Centre to amend the First Schedule to the Constitution to reflect the name “Keralam”.

Under Article 3, Parliament can alter the name of any state by law. However, the proviso mandates that no such Bill can be introduced without the President’s recommendation, and if the proposal affects the name of a state, it must first be referred to the concerned State Legislature for its views.

With the approval of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the draft Cabinet note was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department under the Ministry of Law and Justice for their comments. Both departments have concurred with the proposal to alter the name of the State from “Kerala” to “Keralam”.

With these procedural steps underway, the formal legislative process to amend the Constitution and effect the renaming is now set to proceed.

Two weeks ago, the Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party also formally backed the move. State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar wrote to the Union government, demanding that the state's name be changed from “Kerala” to “Keralam.”

Parliament has, in the past, amended the Constitution to alter the names of several states. For instance, Uttar Pradesh was renamed from United Provinces; Maharashtra emerged from the erstwhile Bombay State; Tamil Nadu was renamed from Madras State; Karnataka from Mysore State; and Odisha from Orissa following a constitutional amendment.

In contrast, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed two resolutions seeking to change the state’s name to “Bengla” but the proposal has yet to receive approval from the Union government.