President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the bill seeking to rename Kerala as Keralam, with the legislation now becoming law.
The Lok Sabha passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, on Tuesday, followed by the Rajya Sabha the next day.
In the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the Kerala Assembly passed a resolution in 2024, urging the Centre to bring a law to change the name of the state 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," he said.
The Kerala government had forwarded a resolution passed by the state assembly regarding the name change to the Centre in June 2024.
Subsequently, President Murmu referred the Bill to the state legislature for its views, following which the Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution agreeing with the Bill.
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill provides for the alteration of the state's name and contains necessary amendments to the Constitution and consequential provisions, according to the Bill's statement of objects and reasons.
Amendments will be made in the First Schedule to the Constitution by modifying the name of Kerala as Keralam in accordance with Article 3 of the Constitution.
(With inputs from PTI)