Bill to Rename 'Kerala' as ‘Keralam’ Introduced in Lok Sabha

New Delhi: A bill seeking to change Kerala’s official name in the Constitution from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’ was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai introduced the bill in the absence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The move follows a resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 24, 2024, urging the Centre to amend the Constitution to rename the state from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’. Then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had moved the resolution, seeking the initiation of proceedings under Article 3 to make the change in the First Schedule of the Constitution.

The Kerala Assembly had raised the issue earlier as well. In 2023, the House had passed a resolution seeking to change the state's name from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’ in both the First and Eighth Schedules of the Constitution.

However, the Union Home Ministry subsequently informed the state that an amendment to the First Schedule would be sufficient and that a corresponding change in the Eighth Schedule was not required. Following this clarification, the state government introduced a revised resolution in 2024, limiting the demand to the First Schedule.

The latest bill seeks to give effect to the state's revised demand through a constitutional amendment. The proposed change would formally recognise ‘Keralam’ as the state's name in the Constitution.