Kerala officially renamed Keralam after President Murmu gives assent to bill
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President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, formally changing the name of the state from Kerala to Keralam.
The Lok Sabha passed the bill on Tuesday, followed by the Rajya Sabha the next day. With the President’s assent, the legislation has now become law.
In the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the Kerala Assembly had passed a resolution in 2024 urging the Centre to enact legislation to change the state’s name to Keralam.
“The bill provides that the State of Kerala will be known as the State of Keralam, and hence there is a proposal to rename the State of Kerala to Keralam,” Rai said.
The Kerala government had forwarded the State Assembly’s resolution to the Centre in June 2024.
President Murmu subsequently referred the bill to the Kerala legislature for its views. The Assembly then adopted a unanimous resolution supporting the proposed name change.
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill provides for the change in the state’s name and makes the necessary amendments to the Constitution and related provisions.
Under the legislation, the First Schedule of the Constitution will be amended to replace the name Kerala with Keralam, in accordance with Article 3 of the Constitution.
