Parliament Approves Kerala's New Name, Keralam, After State Assembly's Push

Parliament on Wednesday passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, clearing the way for the southern state of Kerala to be officially renamed Keralam. The Rajya Sabha approved the legislation through a voice vote, a day after the Lok Sabha passed the Bill. The move follows a long-standing demand from the Kerala government and state Assembly to change the official name of the state.

The Kerala Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution in 2024 urging the Centre to initiate the necessary legal process to rename the state as Keralam. The resolution was subsequently forwarded by the Kerala government to the central government in June 2024. The state had argued that Keralam was more closely aligned with the name traditionally used in the Malayalam language and reflected the state's linguistic and cultural identity.

Following the state government's request, the President of India referred the matter back to the Kerala legislature for its views. The Assembly subsequently adopted another unanimous resolution supporting the proposed change. With both Houses of Parliament now approving the legislation, the process to alter the state's constitutional name has moved significantly closer to completion.

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The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 provides for amendments to the Constitution to formally replace the name Kerala with Keralam. According to the Bill's statement of objects and reasons, the necessary changes will be made to the First Schedule of the Constitution, which lists the states and Union Territories of India. The amendments are being carried out under the provisions of Article 3 of the Constitution.

The proposed renaming is primarily a change in the state's official nomenclature and does not alter its geographical boundaries, administrative structure or status as a state of the Indian Union. Once the constitutional and legal requirements are completed, government documents and official references will use Keralam as the state's name. The move is expected to be seen as an important recognition of the name used in Malayalam.

The passage of the Bill marks the culmination of a process that began with the Kerala Assembly's resolution in 2024. With approval from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the proposed name change has received parliamentary backing. The legislation now represents a significant step towards formally recognising Keralam as the official name of the state.

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