Parliament passes Bill to rename Kerala as Keralam

On Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha unanimously approved the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, altering the state's official name from Kerala to Keralam. The bill, which also incorporated changes to the Constitution's First Schedule, received a voice vote after being introduced by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

All Members of Parliament backed the proposal, with some MPs suggesting changes to the names of other states, cities, and railway stations. Congress MP Jebi Mather Hisham welcomed the initiative, while other MPs, such as TMC's Derek O'Brien and DMK's Tiruchi Siva, commended the decision, drawing parallels to past name changes like Madras to Tamil Nadu.

AIADMK's M Thambidurai advocated for cooperative federalism and respect for regional languages, while BJP's Samik Bhattacharya proposed renaming West Bengal and a Bihar railway station. The Minister of State for Home Affairs emphasized the pride of the change not just for Kerala residents but for all Indians, stating that the issue would be further examined if similar requests were made for other regions.