The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to alter the name of the State of Kerala to “Keralam,” setting in motion the constitutional process required for the change.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following the Cabinet’s approval, 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 Article 3 of the Constitution.
Under the constitutional procedure, any Bill seeking to alter the name of a State can be introduced in Parliament only on the recommendation of the President. Additionally, if the proposal affects the name, area or boundaries of a State, it must first be referred by the President to the concerned State Legislature for expressing its views within a specified period.
The move follows a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 24, 2024, seeking to change the State’s name from “Kerala” to “Keralam.” The resolution stated that the State is referred to as “Keralam” in the Malayalam language and noted that linguistic identity formed the basis for the reorganisation of States on November 1, 1956 – the day also celebrated as Kerala Piravi.
The Assembly had appealed to the Centre to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution under Article 3 to reflect the name “Keralam,” aligning the constitutional name of the State with its name in Malayalam.
Following the State government’s formal request, the proposal was examined by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The draft Cabinet note was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department under the Ministry of Law and Justice, both of which concurred with the proposal.
The matter was processed with the approval of Union Home Minister Amit Shah before being placed before the Cabinet.
After the Kerala Legislative Assembly conveys its views on the Bill, the Union Government will take further steps, including obtaining the President’s recommendation for introducing the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 in Parliament.
If passed by Parliament, the legislation will formally amend the First Schedule to the Constitution to replace “Kerala” with “Keralam.”
