Parliament Clears Bill to Rename Kerala as Keralam
Parliament has cleared the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, paving the way for the southern state of Kerala to be officially renamed “Keralam.” The Rajya Sabha approved the legislation on Wednesday after the Lok Sabha had passed it on August 11.
The Bill seeks to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution, which lists the names and territories of India’s states and Union Territories. Once the constitutional process is completed, the official name of the state will be recorded as “Keralam.”
Background and Legislative Process
The move follows a resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 24, 2024, requesting the Union Government to change the state’s name from Kerala to Keralam. The Union Cabinet subsequently approved the proposal in February 2026.
The name-change proposal is primarily aimed at aligning the state’s official constitutional nomenclature with its traditional Malayalam name, Keralam. The legislation was introduced as part of the constitutional procedure for alteration of a state’s name.
Governance Significance
The parliamentary approval represents an important step in the constitutional and administrative recognition of the state’s preferred nomenclature. The change, once formally notified, will require corresponding updates across government records, official documents, administrative databases and other institutional references.
The development also highlights the role of state resolutions and parliamentary legislation in addressing issues of regional identity and administrative nomenclature.
– Bill: Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026
– Proposed new name: Keralam
– Lok Sabha: Passed on August 11, 2026
– Rajya Sabha: Passed on August 12, 2026
– Constitutional provision: Amendment of the First Schedule
– State Assembly resolution: June 24, 2024
– Union Cabinet approval: February 2026
– Governance focus: Constitutional procedure, administrative nomenclature and regional identit
