Published Jul 01, 2026 | 10:34 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 01, 2026 | 10:34 PM
The proposed legislation seeks to amend various constitutional provisions wherever the state's name appears, substituting "Kerala" with "Keralam".
Synopsis: Kerala has taken a decisive step towards officially becoming ‘Keralam’, with the State Legislative Assembly unanimously endorsing the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, after it was referred by the President under Article 3 of the Constitution. The move advances a long-standing demand to align the state’s constitutional name with its Malayalam identity, leaving parliamentary approval as the final major hurdle.
Nearly seven decades after the formation of the state on linguistic lines, Kerala has moved significantly closer to officially becoming ‘Keralam.’
In a unanimous show of political consensus, the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, 1 June, endorsed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, taking another decisive step in the constitutional process to replace the English name “Kerala” with “Keralam”—the name by which the state has always been known in Malayalam, its official language.
The Assembly’s opinion was sought after the President of India referred the proposed legislation to the State Legislature under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution. The Assembly was expected to communicate its views by 17 July.
Following a detailed consideration, the House unanimously approved all 10 provisions of the Bill, paving the way for its introduction in Parliament.
Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan informed the House that the reference was made after the Union Cabinet approved the proposal in February this year.
The Assembly’s views will now be communicated to the President, after which the Union Government is expected to obtain the President’s recommendation before introducing the Bill in Parliament.
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The proposed legislation seeks to amend various constitutional provisions wherever the state’s name appears, substituting “Kerala” with “Keralam”.
Among the provisions proposed for amendment are Article 31A, Article 290A, the First Schedule, which contains the names of States, and the Fourth Schedule relating to representation in the Council of States, besides other constitutional references.
Under Article 3 of the Constitution, Parliament is empowered to alter the name of any state.
However, no such Bill can be introduced without the recommendation of the President.
The Constitution also mandates that where a proposal affects the name, area or boundaries of a state, the President must first refer the Bill to the State Legislature concerned for expressing its views within a specified period. This procedure have to be followed even when a Bill is introduced based on the recommendation of the concerned state, so as to ensure compliance with the constitutional procedure prescribed under Article 3 of the Constitution.
Although the opinion of the State Legislature is not binding on Parliament, it remains a mandatory constitutional step in the legislative process.
With the Kerala Legislative Assembly now having completed this stage unanimously, the proposal has crossed another significant milestone.
The move follows the Union Cabinet’s approval of the proposal after consultations between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Law and Justice.
The Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department had concurred with the proposal to alter the name of the state from “Kerala” to “Keralam”, enabling the Centre to proceed with the constitutional amendment process.
Also Read: Union Cabinet approves proposal to rename Kerala as Keralam
The latest development has its origins in a unanimous resolution adopted by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on 9 August 2023, urging the Central Government to officially rename the state as “Keralam”.
The resolution passed in 2024.
However, the matter resurfaced in June 2024 after it was found that a technical issue had crept into the earlier resolution.
The Union Home Ministry reportedly responded that amending the First Schedule of the Constitution alone would suffice, suggesting a narrower formulation than what had originally been proposed.
In light of this, the Assembly revisited the issue. On 24 June 2024, Chief Minister Vijayan introduced a revised resolution, once again seeking amendment of the First Schedule to change the state’s name from “Kerala” to “Keralam.”
The resolution argued that while the state has always been known as “Keralam” in Malayalam, the First Schedule to the Constitution records its name in English as “Kerala”.
The resolution recalled that the state was formed on 1 November 1956, following the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. It also noted that the demand for a united Malayalam-speaking state had been a central aspiration during India’s freedom movement.
“The name of our state is ‘Keralam’ in the Malayalam language. Since the states were formed on the basis of language, it is appropriate that the official name in the Constitution also reflects our linguistic identity,” the Assembly had observed while unanimously appealing to the Centre to initiate action under Article 3.
Subsequently, the Government of Kerala formally requested the Union Government to amend the First Schedule to the Constitution and replace “Kerala” with “Keralam”.
Acting on the request, the Ministry of Home Affairs initiated the required consultations before preparing the Cabinet note that eventually secured the Union Cabinet’s approval.
The Assembly’s unanimous endorsement of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, reflects rare political unanimity across party lines on an issue closely linked to the state’s linguistic and cultural identity.
The proposal will now move to the next constitutional stage in New Delhi.
Once the President’s recommendation is obtained, the Bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament for consideration and passage.
The Bill will be taken up in Parliament as an ordinary piece of legislation. It requires only a simple majority in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for passage.
Once approved by both Houses, the Bill will be sent to the President for assent. Upon receiving presidential approval, it will become law, and the state’s official name will stand changed from “Kerala” to “Keralam” from the date notified in the Act, formally aligning its constitutional name with the one that has long been used by its people in their mother tongue.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
