New Delhi: In a historic move ahead of the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, the Union Cabinet is set to meet today, February 24, 2026, to discuss the official renaming of Kerala to ‘Keralam’. This meeting marks a significant milestone as it is the first gathering of the Union Cabinet at Seva Teerth, the newly inaugurated Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Cabinet Secretariat complex.
The proposal follows a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly, moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The resolution emphasizes that while “Kerala” is the commonly used Anglicized name, the state has traditionally and linguistically been known as “Keralam” in Malayalam.
Key Highlights of the Proposal
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Constitutional Basis: The change requires an amendment to the First Schedule of the Indian Constitution under Article 3, which grants Parliament the power to alter the names, boundaries, or areas of existing states.
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Assembly Mandate: The Kerala Assembly initially sought the name change across all languages in the Eighth Schedule, but current procedural requirements focus on amending the First Schedule to reflect the change in official government records.
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Symbolic Venue: The meeting at Seva Teerth (meaning “Shrine of Service”) aligns with the government’s broader “Central Vista” initiative to modernize administrative infrastructure and move away from colonial-era names and symbols.
The Legislative Roadmap
If the Cabinet grants its approval today, the next steps will involve:
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Presidential Recommendation: A Bill will be introduced in Parliament following the recommendation of the President.
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Parliamentary Approval: The Bill must be passed by a simple majority in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
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Official Notification: Once the President gives their assent, the name change will be officially recorded in the Constitution and all legal documents.
This transition follows the precedent of other states that have successfully aligned their official names with local linguistic identities, such as the renaming of Orissa to Odisha in 2011 and Pondicherry to Puducherry in 2006.
