The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to officially rename Kerala as “Keralam,” a politically significant move ahead of the state’s upcoming Assembly elections that revives a long-standing push to restore what supporters consider the region’s original cultural and linguistic name.
After receiving approval from the Cabinet, the President will forward the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the state legislature for its opinion, as required by Article 3 of the Constitution. Once the Assembly provides its feedback, the central government will proceed with the next steps and request the President's recommendation to present the Bill in Parliament. This action comes after the state government intensified efforts following the Kerala Legislative Assembly's unanimous resolution in June 2024 advocating for the change.
A version of the proposal submitted in 2023 was returned by the Union Home Ministry on technical grounds, leading to a revised submission. With the Cabinet now granting approval, a major hurdle has been cleared, but the renaming will still need parliamentary approval under constitutional rules for altering state names.
The proposal saw an unusual political alignment, with state BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar supporting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s initiative, noting that restoring “Keralam” would honour the state’s civilisational and linguistic heritage. Vijayan had emphasized that “Keralam” is the historical Malayalam name, while “Kerala” was introduced during colonial rule for administrative convenience.
The name change is mostly symbolic and will not impact administrative borders, governance structures, or current documents. However, with Cabinet approval secured and evident bipartisan backing, the long-standing effort to officially recognize the traditional name has made significant progress.