Keralam Not Kerala: Union Cabinet Approves State’s Name Change Proposal Just Ahead Of Assembly Polls

Kerala Name Change: The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to rename Kerala as “Keralam” on Tuesday, a move that comes ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

The decision follows a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in June 2024, urging the Centre to amend the Constitution to reflect the name “Keralam” in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule.

The resolution was later re-adopted after incorporating technical suggestions made by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Kerala Name Change: First Cabinet Decision at Seva Teerth

Interestingly, this would be the first Cabinet decision approved by the Union Cabinet at the Seva Teerth, the new Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Secretariat. Earlier today, several media reports suggested that the PMO requested Union Ministers to arrive early, possibly for a photo session.

CM Vijayan Had Moved Resolution in Assembly

Earlier, a resolution to change the name of the state under Article 3 of the Constitution was moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the Kerala Assembly.

During his speech, he highlighted that “Keralam” is used in Malayalam and further emphasized that the demand for a unified Kerala for Malayalam-speaking communities has been prominent since the national freedom struggle.

“The name of our state is written as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution. This Assembly requests the Centre to take immediate steps to amend it as ‘Keralam’ under Article 3 of the Constitution and have it renamed as ‘Keralam’ in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution,” Vijayan said.

Final Approval After President’s Approval 

After cabinet’s approval, the President of India will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala for expressing its views under proviso to article 3 of the Constitution of India, Centre stated on Tuesday. 

“After receipt of the views of the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala, Government of India will take further action and the recommendation of President will be obtained for introduction of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 in Parliament,” centre’s communique read.

Decision Days Ahead of Polls 

The significant move comes as the state is expected to go to polls in May this year. The 140-member House is currently dominated by the Left Democratic Front (LDF). The Election Commission of India is yet to announce the dates for the Assembly polls in the state.

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