The move follows a renewed push by the state government after the Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution in June 2024 seeking the change.
Following the Cabinet’s nod, the President will now refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the state legislature to seek its views, as mandated under Article 3 of the Constitution. Once the Assembly responds, the Centre will take further steps and seek the President’s recommendation to introduce the Bill in Parliament.
An earlier version adopted in 2023 had been returned by the Union Home Ministry on technical grounds, prompting submission of a revised proposal. The Cabinet’s approval clears a key hurdle, though the change will still require parliamentary approval under constitutional provisions governing alteration of state names.
The proposal drew rare political convergence, with state BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar backing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s initiative and saying restoring “Keralam” would honour the state’s civilisational and linguistic heritage. Vijayan has maintained that “Keralam” was the historical Malayalam name, while “Kerala” emerged during colonial rule for administrative convenience.
The renaming is largely symbolic and will not affect administrative boundaries, governance systems or existing documents, but with Cabinet approval now in place and bipartisan support visible, the decade-old campaign to formalise the traditional name has moved decisively forward.
