President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, formally enabling the southern state to be known as Keralam.
With this approval, the legislation has become law.
The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on August 11, and the Rajya Sabha cleared it the following day. The measure amends the First Schedule of the Constitution to replace ‘Kerala’ with ‘Keralam’ and includes consequential changes to related constitutional provisions and existing laws.
Why change Kerala’s name now?
The process began with a unanimous resolution adopted by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in June 2024, which urged the central government to take steps under Article 3 of the Constitution. The resolution noted that the state’s name in Malayalam is Keralam and that this form better reflects its linguistic identity, a demand rooted in the linguistic reorganisation of states in 1956 and the long-standing Aikya Kerala movement.
The state government forwarded the resolution to the Centre that same month. In February 2026, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal.
President Murmu later referred the draft Bill to the Kerala Assembly for its views. The Assembly responded with a unanimous endorsement in July 2026, after which the Bill proceeded through Parliament. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, while moving the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, explained that it provides for the state of Kerala to be known as the state of Keralam.
Officials have indicated that the change will take effect from an appointed day, with provisions allowing adaptation of laws and continuity in pending legal proceedings.The renaming aligns the official constitutional designation with the name long used in Malayalam and by the people of the state. It does not alter the state’s boundaries, administrative structure, or other fundamental attributes. Further notifications and administrative updates are expected to implement the change across official records and communications.