NEW DELHI, August 12 — The Lok Sabha passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, on Wednesday, approving the alteration of the name of the state of Kerala to "Keralam" in the First Schedule of the Constitution.
The legislative change was introduced following a resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly, which urged the Centre to rename the state using its traditional name in the Malayalam language. The bill updates references to the state in the Constitution, official registries, and central administrative records.
The Home Ministry stated that the alteration respects the linguistic identity and cultural heritage of the state's residents.
Constitutional procedures for changing state names are important polity topics. Candidates should know that under Article 3 of the Indian Constitution, Parliament has the power to form new states and alter the areas, boundaries, or names of existing states by passing a simple bill.