The move follows a renewed push from the state government and comes after the long-pending demand to restore what supporters describe as the region’s original cultural and linguistic name resurfaced in national discussions.
Momentum gathered after the Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution in June 2024 urging the Centre to approve the change. An earlier version adopted in 2023 had been returned by the Union Home Ministry over technical issues, prompting the state to submit a revised proposal. Any official renaming requires parliamentary approval under constitutional provisions governing alteration of state names.
The issue has also drawn rare political convergence. State BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar recently thanked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for responding positively to his letter backing the move, signalling uncommon agreement between the opposition BJP and the ruling Left Democratic Front on a cultural matter.
Chandrasekhar said restoring “Keralam” would honour the state’s civilisational and linguistic heritage.
In his reply, Vijayan noted that “Keralam” was historically the name used in Malayalam and that “Kerala” emerged during colonial rule for administrative convenience. Supporters argue the change would correct that legacy and align the official name with local usage, where residents commonly refer to the state as Keralam.
The proposal is largely symbolic and would not affect administrative boundaries, governance systems or existing documents. Still, with Cabinet consideration imminent and bipartisan backing visible, the decade-old campaign to formalise the traditional name appears closer than ever to resolution.
