Kerala ‘officially’ set to become ‘Keralam’ after Rajya Sabha nod
New Delhi, August 12: The Parliament on Wednesday passed a landmark bill approving the renaming of Kerala to ‘Keralam’. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill by voice vote, while the Lok Sabha had already approved it on Tuesday.
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, aims to amend the name of the state listed in the First Schedule of the Constitution from “Kerala” to “Keralam.”
The Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution in 2024 recommending the central government to enact a law to change the state’s name. Following this, the central government advanced the bill.
After the bill’s passage, it will now be sent for the President’s assent, after which the state’s name will officially be changed to Keralam.
Responding to the bill after its discussion in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai stated that this change was made to more accurately reflect the state’s linguistic and cultural identity.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution in 2024 recommending the central government enact a law to change the state’s name to “Keralam.” He stated that the central government introduced this bill in Parliament in response to this request. He clarified that the process for changing the name of any state is based on a resolution by the respective state assembly. If West Bengal also passes such a resolution, the central government will consider introducing a bill on that bill as well.
During the discussion on the bill, BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya raised the demand to change West Bengal’s name to “Paschim Bango.” Meanwhile, RLM MP Upendra Kushwaha suggested changing Patna’s name to “Pataliputra.”
Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh, in his full support of the bill, urged all members to rise above party politics and pass it unanimously.
Chugh stated that this is not merely a matter of changing a name, but a historic moment of reinstatement. He stated that this is not an attempt to alter history, but rather to give the historically established identity its rightful place in the constitutional record.
Tarun Chugh stated that Kerala is the sacred land that gave birth to a great sage like revered Adi Shankaracharya, who formulated India’s spiritual journey through Advaita Vedanta.
He stated that originating from Kalady, Adi Shankaracharya institutionalized India’s tradition in all four directions and gave the country the philosophy of “One India, Great India.”
Chugh paid his respects to Acharya Shankar and said that it is a beautiful coincidence that today Prime Minister Narendra Modi is strengthening the same spirit of “One India, Great India” from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. He stated that “Kerala” was a name imposed by the British, and today, when it is being changed to “Keralam,” it is a matter of pride for the entire country.
During the discussion in the Rajya Sabha, MPs from various parties supported the bill. Several members, including Tiruchi Siva of the DMK, Derek O’Brien of the Trinamool Congress, and Sanjay Singh of the Aam Aadmi Party, spoke in favor of the proposal to change the state’s name, calling it an important step related to cultural identity.
