The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to alter the name of the State of Kerala to “Keralam.” This approval initiates the constitutional process for changing the name of the State under Article 3 of the Constitution of India.
Constitutional Procedure Under Article 3
Article 3 empowers Parliament to:
- Form new States
- Alter areas, boundaries, or names of existing States
Key Provisions:
- A Bill for alteration of a State’s name can be introduced in Parliament only on the recommendation of the President.
- If the proposal affects the name of a State, the President must first refer the Bill to the concerned State Legislature for expressing its views within a specified period.
- After receiving the State Legislature’s views, the Bill may be introduced in Parliament with the President’s recommendation.
Next Steps
- After Union Cabinet approval, the President of India will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
- The State Assembly will express its views.
- After receipt of views, the Government of India will proceed with introduction of the Bill in Parliament, following the President’s recommendation.
Background: Resolution by Kerala Legislative Assembly
- In June 2024, the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution seeking to change the State’s name from “Kerala” to “Keralam.”
- The resolution noted that:
- The name “Keralam” is used in Malayalam language.
- States were reorganised on linguistic basis on 1 November 1956.
- “Kerala Piravi Day” is observed on 1 November.
- There was a longstanding demand since the Independence movement for a united Malayalam-speaking State.
- However, the First Schedule of the Constitution records the name as “Kerala.”