"The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026" has received Presidential assent from Droupadi Murmu, which means the renaming of the state of Kerala to Keralam is now possible. On Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha cleared the Bill through a voice vote, following the Lok Sabha, which had already passed the Bill a day earlier.
According to Clause 3 of the Bill, the name of the state of Kerala would be replaced with Keralam, and the First Schedule of the Constitution would be amended accordingly.
Kerala Assembly Resolution Backs Name Change
In his reply to the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that a resolution was passed in the Kerala Assembly in 2024, demanding the Centre to pass the Bill to rename the state as Keralam.
The resolution from the Assembly was presented to the central government in June 2024 by the Government of Kerala.
The President then sought its opinion regarding the proposed change. The resolution was passed in favour of the proposal to change the name in the Kerala Assembly.
As per the Statement of Objects and Reasons, the Bill aims at amending the name of the state along with the necessary amendments to the Constitution, and also consequential amendments.
The name "Kerala" would be changed to "Keralam" in the First Schedule of the Constitution.
""The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026" has received Presidential assent from Droupadi Murmu, which means the renaming of the state of …"