The Kerala Assembly on Wednesday took a historic step towards changing the state’s name from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’ by unanimously endorsing the President’s reference on the proposal.
President Droupadi Murmu had referred the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the state assembly to seek its opinion. It is the first time a Presidential reference has been sent to the Kerala Assembly.
Around noon on Wednesday, the House considered the legislation. Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan read out all 10 clauses of the draft Bill, including its title and provisions, and legislators belonging to the UDF, LDF and BJP unanimously approved them without objection.
“We witnessed a historic occasion today. The House will convey its opinion to the Union government and the President,” Speaker Radhakrishnan said.
The draft Bill will now be introduced in Parliament. Once passed by Parliament and notified in the Official Gazette, the state’s name will be changed from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’ in all official languages and communications.
The Kerala Assembly had unanimously adopted resolutions in 2023 and 2024 urging the Union government to change the state’s name to ‘Keralam’, reflecting how it is pronounced and written in Malayalam.
Then chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said in the Assembly in 2023, “The name of our state in Malayalam is Keralam. States were formed on linguistic lines in the country on November 1, 1956. Kerala formation day is on the same day. It was a demand during the freedom struggle to form a united Kerala State for all Malayalam speaking people.”
{{/usCountry}}Then chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said in the Assembly in 2023, “The name of our state in Malayalam is Keralam. States were formed on linguistic lines in the country on November 1, 1956. Kerala formation day is on the same day. It was a demand during the freedom struggle to form a united Kerala State for all Malayalam speaking people.”
{{/usCountry}}The proposal to alter the state’s name was approved by the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on February 24, 2026.