Ahead of the state Assembly elections expected in April–May, the Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Kerala government’s proposal to rename the southern state as Keralam. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw briefed reporters after the meeting, saying the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 will now be sent to the Kerala Assembly for its views.
“After approval of the Union Cabinet, the President of India will refer a Bill, namely the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala for expressing its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution,” Vaishnaw said.
Kerala Assembly’s Push for Keralam
The Kerala Legislative Assembly first passed a resolution in August 2023 urging the Centre to rename the state, and repeated the request in June 2024 after the Ministry of Home Affairs suggested technical changes to the original resolution. Both resolutions were moved by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has been advocating the name change.
Vijayan explained that the state is known as Keralam in Malayalam, and that the demand reflects a historical push for a united Kerala for Malayalam-speaking communities, dating back to the freedom struggle. “This Assembly requests the Centre to take immediate steps to amend it as Keralam under Article 3 of the Constitution and have it renamed in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution,” he said.
The second resolution addressed a technical discrepancy: while the earlier resolution sought changes across all languages in the Eighth Schedule, the correction had only been applied to the First Schedule. The new resolution ensured that the name would be uniformly amended across all official languages.
Historical and Cultural Roots of the Name
The name Keralam has deep historical roots. The earliest reference appears in Ashoka’s Rock Edict II, dated 257 BCE, which mentions “Keralaputra,” interpreted as a reference to the Chera dynasty. Linguists and scholars, including German scholar Herman Gundert, trace the word Keralam to Cheram, with “cher” meaning “to join” and “alam” meaning land, describing the region from Gokarnam to Kanyakumari.
The renaming also resonates with Kerala’s history of linguistic and cultural unity. Malayalam-speaking areas were once ruled by multiple princely states. The Aikya Kerala (unified Kerala) movement of the 1920s sought to merge Malabar, Kochi, and Travancore into a single state for Malayalam speakers. After Independence, Travancore and Kochi merged in 1949 to form Travancore-Cochin, and the State Reorganisation Commission later recommended creating Kerala by integrating Malabar and Kasargod while leaving southern taluks with Tamil Nadu.
Constitutional Process for Renaming
Renaming a state is more complex than renaming cities, requiring a constitutional amendment under Article 3. The process begins with a proposal from the state government, which is examined by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The ministry seeks No Objection Certificates from agencies including the Railways, Intelligence Bureau, Department of Posts, Survey of India, and Registrar General of India. Once cleared, the proposal is introduced in Parliament as a Bill, and the new name takes effect only after passage and notification.
The Cabinet approval on February 24, 2026, is a significant step in this process. Following the Kerala Assembly’s feedback, the Union government will obtain the President’s recommendation to introduce the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 in Parliament.
Cross-Party Support
The renaming has drawn political consensus. Last month, Kerala BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar extended the party’s support for the move, reflecting broad agreement ahead of the upcoming elections.
The Union Home Ministry, with approval from Amit Shah, circulated the draft note for Cabinet approval after consulting the Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice. Both departments have concurred with the proposal to officially change Kerala to Keralam.
