Parliament passes bill to rename Kerala as Keralam
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The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, paving the way for the state of Kerala to be officially renamed Keralam, more than two years after the Kerala Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution seeking the change.
The Bill, which provides for the necessary amendments to the Constitution, including the First Schedule, was passed by voice vote. The Lok Sabha had cleared the legislation on Tuesday.
Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai introduced the Bill in the Rajya Sabha on behalf of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was not present in the House.
During the discussion, all MPs supported the proposal to rename Kerala as Keralam, while some members used the occasion to seek changes to the names of other states, cities and railway stations.
Initiating the debate, Congress MP Jebi Mather Hisham welcomed the Bill. However, when she attempted to raise an issue concerning the Home Minister, Leader of the House J P Nadda objected and asked the Chair not to take the remarks on record, describing them as a political statement.
TMC MP Derek O’Brien pointed out that West Bengal’s proposal to change its name to Bangla had been pending for eight years. DMK MP Tiruchi Siva welcomed the Kerala renaming Bill and recalled the earlier change of Madras to Tamil Nadu, stressing the importance attached to names.
AIADMK MP M Thambidurai called for stronger cooperative federalism and greater respect for regional languages. Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh also emphasised the need to respect India’s linguistic diversity, traditional attire and different states.
Singh alleged that the Centre had not provided adequate funds to Kerala during natural disasters and said the government should change its approach towards the state along with its name.
IUML MP Haris Beeran highlighted Kerala’s secular credentials, describing the state as an important part of the country’s secular political framework despite not being governed by a “double engine” government.
RLM leader Upendra Kushwaha demanded that Bihar’s capital Patna be renamed Pataliputra. BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya sought the renaming of West Bengal as Pashchim Bongo and also proposed changing the name of Bakhtiarpur Junction near Nalanda in Bihar.
Responding to the discussion, Rai said the renaming was a matter of pride not only for the people of Kerala but for all Indians. He noted that the Kerala Assembly had sought the change to Keralam, the Malayalam name of the state.
On the demands to rename Patna and West Bengal, Rai said the government would consider such proposals if they were submitted through the prescribed process.
The Rajya Sabha subsequently passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, by voice vote.
Rai later moved a motion to refer the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a Joint Committee of Parliament. The Rajya Sabha also adopted the motion through a voice vote.