The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved a proposal to change the name of the state of Kerala to “Keralam”. After this approval, the President of India will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala Legislative Assembly. This is required under Article 3 of the Constitution. The Assembly will give its views on the proposal.
Once the State gives its response, the Centre will move ahead with the process. The President’s recommendation will then be taken for introducing the Bill in Parliament. If the Bill is passed, the name in the First Schedule of the Constitution will be changed from “Kerala” to “Keralam”.
Background
The Kerala Legislative Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution on June 24, 2024. It asked the Centre to amend the Constitution and change the name of the state.
The Assembly said the name of the state in Malayalam is “Keralam”. It also noted that the state was formed on November 1, 1956, on a linguistic basis. While people use the name “Keralam”, the Constitution records it as “Kerala”. The Assembly requested the Centre to modify this under Article 3.
Thereafter, the Kerala government requested the Centre to take necessary steps to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution by altering the name of State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’.
What the Constitution says
Article 3 gives Parliament the power to change the name of a state. However, such a Bill can be introduced only with the President’s recommendation.
Before introduction in Parliament, the President must refer the Bill to the concerned State Legislature to seek its views within a specified period.
The proposal was examined by the Ministry of Home Affairs. After approval by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the draft note was sent to the Ministry of Law and Justice. The concerned legal departments agreed with the proposal.
With the Cabinet’s approval, the process to officially change the name from “Kerala” to “Keralam” has now moved to the next stage.
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