Ahead of the upcoming state elections, a bill to change the name of Kerala to “Keralam” has been approved in the Union Cabinet meeting today, reports PTI. This step comes after the Kerala Legislative Assembly formally requested the Centre to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution and record the state’s name as “Keralam,” which is the name used in Malayalam.

The resolution moved by the Chief Minister

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan moved the resolution in the Assembly. He said that even though the state is called “Keralam” in Malayalam, it is still written as “Kerala” in the Constitution. The Assembly first passed the proposal in 2024. Later, after the Ministry of Home Affairs pointed out some technical issues, the resolution was brought again and passed on June 25, 2024, with the required changes.

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The name of our state is written as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution. This assembly requests the Centre to take immediate steps to amend it as ‘Keralam’ under Article 3 of the Constitution and have it renamed as ‘Keralam’ in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution,” Vijayan said.

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The state government has said that the demand is based on history and language. The idea of bringing together Malayalam-speaking people into one region existed even before Independence. The name “Keralam” is widely used in the state’s culture and literature, and many believe it shows the state’s true identity.

What needs to happen for the change

For the name change to become official, Parliament will have to amend the Constitution under Article 3. This article deals with the creation of new states and changes to the names, areas, or boundaries of existing states. The state’s name would also need to be updated in all the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The timing of this move is important. Kerala will soon hold elections for its 140-member Assembly. However, the Election Commission has not yet announced the dates for voting.

A resolution to officially change the state’s name was unanimously passed in August 2023. It asked the Centre to update the name to “Keralam” in the First Schedule of the Constitution and in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule. However, after a detailed review, it was found that the amendment was required only in the First Schedule of the Constitution.