Big Identity Shift: Cabinet Clears Move to Rename Kerala as ‘Keralam’
Centre Clears Move to Rename Kerala as ‘Keralam’; Bill to Be Sent to State Assembly
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved a proposal to officially rename the state of Kerala as ‘Keralam’, setting in motion the constitutional process for the change.
Following the Cabinet nod, the President of India will refer the proposed legislation — the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 — to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for its views, as mandated under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution.
केरल की सांस्कृतिक पहचान को आधिकारिक मान्यता
केंद्रीय मंत्रिमंडल ने केरल का नाम आधिकारिक रूप से ‘केरलम’ करने के प्रस्ताव को मंजूरी दी है। यह नाम राज्य की प्रामाणिक मलयालम पहचान और भाषाई विरासत से जुड़ा है।
संविधान के अनुच्छेद 3 के तहत राष्ट्रपति द्रौपदी मुर्मू इस विधेयक को आगे… pic.twitter.com/fhxDk8ASxJ— MyGov Hindi (@MyGovHindi) February 24, 2026
Once the Assembly submits its opinion, the Centre will proceed with the next steps. The President’s recommendation will then be sought to introduce the Bill in Parliament, which must pass the law to formally effect the name change.
The move follows a unanimous resolution adopted by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 24, 2024, urging the Union government to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution to reflect the name ‘Keralam’. The state government had argued that ‘Keralam’ is the name used in the Malayalam language and better reflects the region’s linguistic identity.
The resolution also recalled that states were reorganised on linguistic lines on November 1, 1956 — observed as Kerala Piravi Day — but the Constitution continues to record the state’s name as ‘Kerala’.
Under Article 3, Parliament has the authority to alter the name of any state by law. However, such a Bill can be introduced only on the President’s recommendation and after the concerned state legislature is consulted within a stipulated timeframe.
The proposal was examined by the Ministry of Home Affairs and approved by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. It was subsequently circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department under the Ministry of Law and Justice, both of which have endorsed the move.
If cleared by Parliament, the state will officially be known as ‘Keralam’.
