New Delhi: Kerala will soon be known as ‘Keralam’.
The Union Cabinet approved the renaming of the southern state, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Tuesday.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly had, on June 24, 2024, unanimously passed a resolution urging the Central government to rename the State as ‘Keralam’.
As part of the formalities, President Droupadi Murmu will refer a Bill, namely the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the state legislative Assembly for expressing its views under proviso to article 3 of the Constitution of India.
After receipt of the views of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, the government of India will obtain the President’s recommendation for introduction of the Kerala (Alteration of Nam
e) Bill, 2026 to alter the name of Kerala as ‘Keralam’ in Parliament.
The name change comes ahead of Assembly polls in Kerala, expected to be held sometime in April-May this year.
The Kerala Assembly had passed the resolution in 2024 a year after chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had first moved the resolution to change the state’s name in all languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The Ministry of Home Affairs, which reviewed the first resolution, had suggested some technical changes.
“The name of our State is ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam Language. States were formed on the basis of language on the 1st day of November, 1956. The Kerala Piravi Day is also on the 1st day of November. Since the time of National Independence Struggle, there has been a strong demand for the formation of United Kerala for the people speaking Malayalam language. But 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 for modifying the name as ‘Keralam’,” the resolutions read.