The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a proposal to rename the state of Kerala as “Keralam.” The move marks a key procedural step in the formal name-change process.
Following the Cabinet’s approval, the President of India will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution. After the Assembly submits its opinion, the Centre will take further action and seek the President’s recommendation to introduce the Bill in Parliament.
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The development comes ahead of the state Assembly elections, the schedule for which is yet to be announced by the Election Commission of India.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had earlier moved resolutions in 2023 and 2024 seeking to officially change the state’s name from “Kerala” to “Keralam” across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The Assembly passed the resolution twice, after the Union Home Ministry suggested technical modifications to the initial proposal.
The state government has argued that “Keralam” is the original name in Malayalam and better reflects the linguistic identity of the region. The resolution noted that while the state was formed on linguistic lines on November 1, 1956, the First Schedule of the Constitution still records the name as “Kerala.”
