President Murmu Gives Assent to Bill Renaming Kerala as Keralam

President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, formally changing the constitutional name of the state from Kerala to Keralam.

The legislation was passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha before being sent to the President for assent. With the President's approval, the Bill has now become law.

The move follows a long-standing demand to reflect the state's Malayalam name, “Keralam,” in official constitutional records. Kerala was formed as a Malayalam-speaking state on November 1, 1956, following the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. While the state's Malayalam name is Keralam, its name in the Constitution has remained Kerala.

The recent formal process began with a resolution of the Kerala Assembly in 2023, followed by another unanimous resolution on June 24, 2024, moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, urging the Centre to change the state's official name. The state government forwarded the resolution to the Centre in June 2024.

The proposal was subsequently examined by the Union government. The Union Cabinet approved the name-change proposal on February 24, 2026, paving the way for legislation in Parliament.

The constitutional procedure is governed by Article 3, which empowers Parliament to create states or alter their area, boundaries or names. Before such a Bill is introduced, the President refers it to the concerned state legislature for its views. The legislature's opinion is not binding on Parliament. In this case, however, the Kerala Assembly unanimously supported the proposal after the Bill was referred to it.

The legislation also makes the necessary amendment to the First Schedule of the Constitution, replacing “Kerala” with “Keralam”.

The change is therefore a change of the state's official name, not the creation of a new state or alteration of its territory or boundaries.