On 24-2-2026, the Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for alteration of name of State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’. Under the provisions of Article 3 of the Constitution, the Government of Kerala requested the Central Government to initiate the process of amending the First Schedule to the Constitution to reflect this change.
Earlier, on 24-6-2024, the Legislative Assembly of Kerala passed a resolution to change “Kerala” to “Keralam”, stating:
“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 appeal to the Central Government to take urgent steps as per Article 3 of the Constitution for modifying the name as ‘Keralam’.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs examined the proposal and circulated a draft Cabinet Note to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department for their comments, and both the departments concurred.
Since Parliament has the power to alter a state’s name, after this approval, the President will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to Kerala State Assembly for expressing its views, as required under the proviso to Article 3. Once the Assembly’s views are received, the President will recommend introduction of this Bill in Parliament.