The Lok Sabha has approved a bill seeking to rename the state of Kerala as ‘Keralam’. The bill was passed without discussion during the Lok Sabha session on August 11, amid protests by opposition members.
The demand to rename the state as ‘Keralam’ has gained importance over the past few years. Since the state is known as ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam, the Kerala government has urged the Centre to use the same name in official records as well.
As part of the process, the Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on June 24, 2024, seeking to change the state’s name to ‘Keralam’. The central government subsequently initiated action on the proposal.
In February 2026, a Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal to rename Kerala as ‘Keralam’. The next stage of the process was initiated under Article 3 of the Constitution.
The process then continued with the state legislature’s views being considered. In July 2026, the Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously approved all 10 clauses of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026. This paved the way for the bill to be taken up by Parliament.
With the Lok Sabha approving the bill, the renaming process has reached another important stage. However, the bill was passed while opposition members were protesting and demanding the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the House.
Supporters of the change say that the name ‘Keralam’ reflects the state’s linguistic and cultural identity. Since ‘Keralam’ is already widely used in Malayalam, they believe adopting it as the official name would better reflect the state’s linguistic heritage.
Once the process of renaming Kerala as ‘Keralam’ is completed, the new name is expected to be reflected in official documents of the central government, relevant constitutional references and other government records.
The development is being viewed as an important milestone in the long-standing demand to reflect Kerala’s linguistic and cultural identity through its official name.
