Parliament passes Bill to rename Kerala as Keralam officially.
Kerala government forwarded the state assembly’s name-change resolution to the Centre in June 2024.
- Parliament passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to officially rename Kerala as Keralam, with both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha approving it by voice vote.
- The Kerala Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution in 2024 seeking the name change, which was forwarded to the Centre in June 2024.
- The Bill amends the First Schedule of the Constitution under Article 3 and makes consequential changes in other constitutional provisions where the state’s name appears.
- The change aligns the official English name with the Malayalam pronunciation, Keralam, already in common local use.
- Once the President gives assent and a notification is issued, all official English references to the state will shift from Kerala to Keralam.
Parliament on Wednesday, August 12, passed a bill to rename Kerala as Keralam, with the Rajya Sabha clearing the legislation with a voice vote. The move brings the state’s official English name in line with its Malayalam pronunciation, Keralam, a change long sought by the state government and widely used in local usage.
From resolution to law
The Kerala Assembly passed a resolution in 2024, urging the Centre to bring a law to change the name of the state to Keralam. The Kerala government had forwarded a resolution passed by the state assembly regarding the name change to the Centre in June 2024.
consequential provisions, according to the Bill’s statement of objects and reasons. The Bill also makes consequential changes in other parts of the Constitution where the state’s name appears, including in Articles 31A and 290A, and in the Fourth Schedule relating to Rajya Sabha seats.
Why the change matters
For Malayalam speakers, “Keralam” is the natural name of the state; “Kerala” is the anglicised version that came into official use during the colonial and early post-Independence period. Supporters of the change argue that updating the English name to Keralam aligns official nomenclature with local language and identity, much like how Bengaluru replaced Bangalore and Chennai replaced Madras. The change is largely symbolic but carries cultural significance, affirming the state’s linguistic heritage in its constitutional identity.
Parliamentary passage
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Monday, August 10, and passed by a voice vote on Tuesday amid Opposition protests on other issues. It was then taken up in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday and cleared again by a voice vote, with minimal debate. Once the President gives assent and the government issues a notification, the name change will come into force from a date specified in the Official Gazette.
What changes on the ground
In practical terms, the rename will update official documents, maps, government websites and constitutional references from “Kerala” to “Keralam”. For residents, daily life will not change dramatically; the Malayalam name has always been Keralam. But in English-language official communication, signage, passports, and legal texts, the new name will gradually replace the old one. The change also sets a precedent for other states that may seek similar alignment between their local-language names and official English designations.