Kerala to be renamed Keralam as Centre approves proposal ahead of Assembly elections 2026
PTC News Desk: The Union Cabinet has cleared the Kerala government’s proposal to rename the state as “Keralam,” a decision that comes just months before the upcoming Assembly elections.
The approval was reportedly granted at a Cabinet meeting held at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new office at Seva Teerth, the new PMO building in Delhi. This marked the first Cabinet meeting at the new venue since the previous session at South Block on February 13.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed the resolution for the second time on June 25, 2024, urging the Centre to officially rename the state as Keralam. This followed an earlier resolution passed in August 2023, after which the Centre suggested certain technical modifications for clarity and compliance.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who moved the resolution, requested that the name be changed to Keralam in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. He noted that “Keralam” is the name used in Malayalam and is deeply rooted in the state’s history. He also referred to the use of “Kerala” in the First Schedule of the Constitution and highlighted the long-standing demand for a united Malayalam-speaking state dating back to the freedom movement.
The Assembly has urged the central government to take immediate steps under Article 3 of the Constitution to officially amend the state’s name to Keralam in the Constitution and across all languages in the Eighth Schedule.
- With inputs from agencies
