President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, clearing the way for the state to be officially known as Keralam. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 11 and the Rajya Sabha on August 12, after the Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously supported the proposal earlier in July.
The legislation seeks to replace “Kerala” with “Keralam” in the Constitution, reflecting the name traditionally used in Malayalam and the state’s linguistic identity. The Union Cabinet had approved the proposal in February 2026, following a unanimous resolution by the Kerala Assembly in June 2024.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the decision “reflects the will of the people of the state” and strengthens the country’s connection with its cultural heritage. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai also said the Bill provides that the State of Kerala will be known as the State of Keralam.
Importantly, the official Rashtrapati Bhavan records show that President Murmu’s assent was given on August 14, although several reports on the development were published on August 17.
A Name Rooted In Language
The move to adopt “Keralam” is rooted in Kerala’s linguistic and cultural identity rather than the creation of a new state or territory. The modern state was formed on November 1, 1956, when Malayalam-speaking regions were brought together during the linguistic reorganisation of Indian states.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly has repeatedly argued that the state is known as “Keralam” in Malayalam, while “Kerala” continues to appear in the First Schedule of the Constitution. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan moved the Assembly’s June 24, 2024 resolution, which stated that the demand for a united Kerala for Malayalam-speaking people had been strong since the freedom struggle.
The resolution was unanimously adopted after an earlier proposal from August 2023 was returned following technical objections. The Union Cabinet subsequently approved the proposal on February 24, 2026.
Prime Minister Modi said the decision reflected “the will of the people of the state” and was in line with efforts to strengthen the country’s connection with its cultural heritage. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw explained that the next constitutional steps would involve obtaining the Assembly’s views before taking the Bill to Parliament.
From Assembly To Parliament
The renaming followed the procedure prescribed under Article 3 of the Constitution, which empowers Parliament to alter the name, area or boundaries of an existing state. After the Union Cabinet’s approval, President Murmu referred the proposed Bill to the Kerala Assembly for its views, as required by the constitutional process.
On July 1, the Assembly considered all 10 clauses of the proposed legislation, with legislators from the ruling LDF, opposition UDF and BJP unanimously supporting them. Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan read out the provisions before they were approved by voice vote.
The Bill then moved to Parliament, where the Lok Sabha cleared it on August 11 and the Rajya Sabha followed on August 12. In the Upper House, Nityanand Rai said the legislation provides that “the State of Kerala will be known as the State of Keralam”.
The Bill provides for consequential changes to the Constitution, including replacing “Kerala” with “Keralam” in the First Schedule. The President’s assent turned the legislation into law, completing the parliamentary and presidential stages.
However, the practical transition will still require the government to operationalise the law and update official references, records, documents and communications. The change is therefore primarily a constitutional and administrative one: Kerala’s territory, government, districts and status as an Indian state remain unchanged.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
A state’s name can carry far more meaning than the letters written on an official document. For many Malayalis, “Keralam” represents a linguistic identity that has existed in everyday speech, literature and cultural life for generations. Giving that name constitutional recognition can therefore be understood as an acknowledgement of the people’s connection with their language and history. At the same time, such changes are best handled through constitutional procedures, consultation and institutional consensus rather than political confrontation.
In this case, the proposal travelled from a unanimous state Assembly resolution to consideration by the Centre, a presidential reference, another unanimous Assembly endorsement, parliamentary approval and presidential assent. That broad institutional support makes the development significant beyond the name itself: it demonstrates how questions of identity can be addressed through democratic dialogue and constitutional mechanisms.
Also read: Soren Government Cancels JSSC-CGL Exam; Selected Candidates Protest, Fear Job Loss
