Winter Session Erupts: LS Adjourned Amid SIR Uproar
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, paving the way for changing the official name of the state from Kerala to Keralam. The legislation seeks to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution of India, where the state is currently listed as Kerala.
The Bill was moved in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai for consideration and passing. The approval by the Lower House marks a significant step towards fulfilling a decades-old demand to align the official name of the state with its Malayalam linguistic identity and cultural heritage.
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 proposes that the state’s name be changed from Kerala to Keralam in constitutional records, government documents and official references. The move follows the Union Cabinet’s approval of the proposal in February 2026 after detailed examination by the Ministry of Home Affairs and legal authorities.
The demand for changing Kerala’s name to Keralam originated from within the state. In June 2024, the Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution requesting the Central government to initiate the constitutional process for altering the state’s name. The resolution highlighted that Keralam has traditionally been the Malayalam name of the region and represents the linguistic identity of Malayalam-speaking people.
The Assembly’s resolution also referred to the historical demand for the formation of a united Malayalam-speaking state during the freedom movement era. Kerala was officially formed on November 1, 1956, following the reorganisation of Indian states on linguistic lines under the States Reorganisation Act. The day is celebrated annually as Kerala Piravi Day, marking the creation of the Malayalam-speaking state.
Despite the widespread use of the term Keralam in Malayalam language and cultural contexts, the First Schedule of the Constitution continued to mention the state as Kerala. Following the Assembly resolution, the Kerala government formally approached the Centre to amend the constitutional schedule and officially recognise Keralam as the state’s name.
The entire process has been carried out under Article 3 of the Constitution of India, which empowers Parliament to alter the name, area or boundaries of existing states through legislation. However, changing a state’s name requires a specific constitutional procedure involving the President, the concerned state legislature and Parliament.
Under Article 3, a bill related to altering the name, territory or boundaries of a state cannot be introduced in Parliament without the recommendation of the President. Before such legislation is considered, the President is required to refer the proposal to the concerned state legislature to seek its views.
Following this constitutional requirement, President Droupadi Murmu referred the draft Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 17 for its opinion. This was the first time that a Presidential reference under Article 3 was sent to the Kerala Assembly for a state name alteration proposal.
The Kerala Assembly later examined the draft bill and unanimously approved all 10 clauses of the legislation on July 1. The approval completed the state-level consultation process required under the constitutional framework.
Before reaching Parliament, the proposal underwent detailed scrutiny within the Union government. The Ministry of Home Affairs prepared the Cabinet note regarding the name change, which was examined by the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department under the Ministry of Law and Justice. Both departments reviewed the proposal and found it consistent with constitutional provisions.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal to rename Kerala as Keralam in February 2026. After completing the required consultations and legal review, the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha for legislative approval.
The Kerala to Keralam transition is not simply a change in spelling but represents a broader discussion around regional identity, language, history and constitutional recognition. Supporters of the proposal argue that Keralam reflects the state’s original Malayalam pronunciation and better represents the cultural identity of its people.
The passage of the bill in Lok Sabha is an important milestone, but the process will continue with further parliamentary procedures. After approval by Parliament and receiving Presidential assent, Keralam will become the official constitutional name of the state.
The name change will not impact Kerala’s geographical boundaries, administrative structure, government institutions or legal framework. It will only replace the existing official name in constitutional and official records.
The Kerala name change exercise highlights India’s constitutional mechanism for recognising historical, cultural and linguistic identities of states. Several states and cities in India have undergone official renaming processes in the past through legislative approval, reflecting regional heritage and public sentiment.
With the Lok Sabha clearing the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, the transition from Kerala to Keralam has entered its final stages and is set to become one of the significant state identity-related changes in India’s constitutional history.
