The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved on February 24 the proposal to change the name of the state from “Kerala” to “Keralam”. The meeting was held at Seva Theerth, the newly constructed Prime Minister’s Office, and marked the first Union Cabinet meeting at the venue.
Following the approval of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, the Rashtrapati will refer the Bill to the Kerala State Legislative Assembly to seek its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution. After receiving the Assembly’s views, the Government of Bharat will proceed further, and the recommendation of the Rashtrapati will be obtained for introducing the Bill in Parliament to formally change the state’s name from “Kerala” to “Keralam”.
The Union Cabinet decision is in view of the request received from the state government based on the following resolution passed by the state assembly on June 24, 2024.
The decision of the Union Cabinet on alteration of the name of Kerala to Keralam reflects the will of the people of the state. It is in line with our efforts to strengthen the connect with our glorious culture. https://t.co/pdzsgiU1l2
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 24, 2026
Following the approval, BJP Keralam President Rajeev Chandrashekar said on X, “I had absolutely no doubt that renaming Keralam was a necessary step towards honouring our heritage and preserving our history, language, and roots — roots that have survived despite the British and others attempting to reshape them. While the CPM, Congress, and their allies have a long history of violating our values and harassing Malayalees, the BJP/NDA stands firmly for heritage, security, and development for all.”
Marathathu ini marum! This is what real change looks like!
Yesterday, the Union Cabinet held its first meeting at Seva Teerth. One of its first decisions – officially renaming our state to Keralam.
On January 12, 2026, I had written to PM @narendramodi ji urging this historic… pic.twitter.com/O5f1MkTL3D
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) February 25, 2026
“The name of our State is ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam Language. States were formed on the basis of language on the 1st day of November, 1956. The Kerala Piravi Day is also on the 1st day of November. Since the time of National Independence Struggle, there has been a strong demand for the formation of United Kerala for the people speaking Malayalam language. But in the First Schedule to the Constitution the name of our State is recorded as ‘Kerala’. This Assembly unanimously appeal to the Central Government to take urgent steps as per Article 3 of the Constitution for modifying the name as ‘Keralam’.”
Afterwards, the Government of Kerala requested the Government of Bharat to take necessary steps to amend the First Schedule to the Constitution by altering the name of State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’ as per article 3 of the Constitution.
Article 3 of the Constitution provides for changing the names of the existing States.
According to article 3, Parliament may, by law, change the name of any State. Further proviso to article 3 states that no Bill for the purpose shall be introduced in either House of Parliament except on the recommendation of the President.
The matter regarding alteration of name of State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’ was considered in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. After obtaining the approval of Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, the draft note for the Cabinet for the alteration of name of State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’ was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice for their comments.
Welcoming this decision, HM Amit Shah said “Heartiest congratulations to the people of Keralam. The Union Cabinet’s decision under the leadership of Modi Ji to rename Kerala as ‘Keralam’ is a significant step towards fulfilling the long-standing demand of the people of the state.”
Heartiest congratulations to the people of Keralam. The Union Cabinet's decision under the leadership of Modi Ji to rename Kerala as ‘Keralam’ is a significant step towards fulfilling the long-standing demand of the people of the state. The name ‘Keralam’ will manifest the… pic.twitter.com/XAdXap5HlA
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) February 24, 2026
The Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice have concurred with the proposal for the alteration of the name of the State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’.
The latest alteration is part of the ongoing process to change the names of several places. Some time back Calcutta was changed into Kolkata, Bombay to Mumbai, Madras state to Tamil Nadu and Madras city to Chennai, Trivandrum to Tiruvananthapuram, etc.
