The Parliament has passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, with the Rajya Sabha approving it on Wednesday the 12th of August 2026.
The Lok Sabha had already passed the legislation on Tuesday the 11th of August 2026.
The Bill seeks to change the name of the state of Kerala to Keralam in the First Schedule of the Constitution.
Replying to a debate on the Bill, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the Kerala Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution in 2024, requesting the Centre to change the name of the State from Kerala to Keralam.
He said the request in this regard was made because the name of the State in Malayalam is Keralam, while in the Constitution, it is written as Kerala.
The Minister said that the Union Cabinet in February this year approved the proposal to change the name of the state to Keralam and to introduce the necessary legislation for amendment in this regard.
He said the Union Government brought the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 in the Parliament to honour the State’s request.
Earlier, participating in the discussion, Tarun Chugh of BJP said the motto of this bill is to change the name from Kerala to Keralam and to erase the signs of slavery and restore the glory.
Jyoti Waghmare of Shiv Sena said the name is the first identity of any person or place and renaming Kerala to Keralam is a way to honour the Malayalam language.
Participating in the discussion, Union Minister Suresh Gopi said, passage of the Bill is a celebratory moment for over four crore Malayalis around the globe.
He alleged that in the presence of Congress and CPI (M) Members, the Bill was not allowed to be discussed in the Lok Sabha.
Samik Bhattacharya of BJP urged the Government to change the name of West Bengal to Paschim Bango. Upendra Kushwaha of RLM demanded to rename Patna to Patliputra.
Tiruchi Shiva of DMK, Derek O’Brien of TMC, Sanjay Singh of AAP also spoke in support of changing the State’s name from Kerala to Keralam.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Rwngwra Narzary of UPP (L), A A Rahim of CPI (M), Sandosh Kumar P of CPI, Harris Beeran of IUML, Jose K Mani of KC (M), Subhashis Khuntia of BJD also participated in the discussion among others.
RS-Harivansh
The Parliament has passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, with the Rajya Sabha approving it on Wednesday the 12th of August 2026.
The Lok Sabha had already passed the legislation on Tuesday the 11th of August 2026.
The Bill seeks to change the name of the state of Kerala to Keralam in the First Schedule of the Constitution.
Replying to a debate on the Bill, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the Kerala Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution in 2024, requesting the Centre to change the name of the State from Kerala to Keralam.
He said the request in this regard was made because the name of the State in Malayalam is Keralam, while in the Constitution, it is written as Kerala.
The Minister said that the Union Cabinet in February this year approved the proposal to change the name of the state to Keralam and to introduce the necessary legislation for amendment in this regard.
He said the Union Government brought the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 in the Parliament to honour the State’s request.
Earlier, participating in the discussion, Tarun Chugh of BJP said the motto of this bill is to change the name from Kerala to Keralam and to erase the signs of slavery and restore the glory.
Jyoti Waghmare of Shiv Sena said the name is the first identity of any person or place and renaming Kerala to Keralam is a way to honour the Malayalam language.
Participating in the discussion, Union Minister Suresh Gopi said, passage of the Bill is a celebratory moment for over four crore Malayalis around the globe.
He alleged that in the presence of Congress and CPI (M) Members, the Bill was not allowed to be discussed in the Lok Sabha.
Samik Bhattacharya of BJP urged the Government to change the name of West Bengal to Paschim Bango. Upendra Kushwaha of RLM demanded to rename Patna to Patliputra.
Tiruchi Shiva of DMK, Derek O’Brien of TMC, Sanjay Singh of AAP also spoke in support of changing the State’s name from Kerala to Keralam.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Rwngwra Narzary of UPP (L), A A Rahim of CPI (M), Sandosh Kumar P of CPI, Harris Beeran of IUML, Jose K Mani of KC (M), Subhashis Khuntia of BJD also participated in the discussion among others.
