NEW DELHI — India’s Lok Sabha passed a bill on Tuesday to change the official name of the southern state of Kerala to “Keralam,” advancing a proposal that would align the state’s constitutional name with its Malayalam-language form.
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, was passed without debate as opposition lawmakers continued protests in the House, according to reports on the proceedings. Opposition members were demanding the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, disrupting the business of the chamber.
The legislation is part of a constitutional process under Article 3, which gives Parliament the authority to alter the name of a state. The proposal would replace “Kerala” with “Keralam” in the First Schedule of the Constitution and in official references to the state.
The move follows a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 24, 2024, requesting the change. The Union Cabinet approved the proposal in February 2026 and said the proposed name reflected the Malayalam usage of the state’s name.
Under the constitutional procedure, President Droupadi Murmu referred the bill to the Kerala Assembly in June for its views. The state legislature subsequently approved all 10 clauses of the draft legislation unanimously on July 1, clearing the way for its consideration by Parliament.
The proposed change does not take effect with Lok Sabha approval alone. A bill altering a state’s name must pass both houses of Parliament before being presented to the president for assent. Parliament’s authority to alter a state’s name derives from Article 3, and such legislation does not require the special constitutional-amendment procedure under Article 368.
The Cabinet’s February decision said the renaming proposal originated with the Kerala Assembly’s earlier resolution and would proceed after the state legislature had been given an opportunity to express its views.
The bill’s passage in the Lok Sabha marks the latest step in the proposed transition from “Kerala” to “Keralam.” The legislation now requires consideration by the Rajya Sabha before it can proceed to the president for final assent.
