The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to officially rename Kerala as ‘Keralam’, marking a significant administrative and political development ahead of the state Assembly elections due later this year. Announcing the decision, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the demand to adopt ‘Keralam’ had existed since the state’s formation on linguistic lines. The Cabinet’s nod clears the way for the formal change, following repeated resolutions passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
Union Cabinet approves the proposal for alteration of name of State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’ pic.twitter.com/uVydvy5fFl
— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2026
Cabinet Nod After Assembly Push
The decision was taken at the first Union Cabinet meeting held in the new Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) complex, ‘Seva Teerth’. The Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on June 24, 2024 urging the Centre to officially change the state’s name to ‘Keralam’.
This was the second such resolution. An earlier proposal, adopted unanimously in August 2023, had been returned after the Union Home Ministry suggested certain technical modifications. Following those changes, the Assembly reiterated its request, paving the way for the Cabinet’s approval.
Cultural Identity & Political Context
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had urged the Centre to ensure that the name ‘Keralam’ is reflected across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, replacing ‘Kerala’. The state government has maintained that ‘Keralam’ more accurately reflects the Malayalam pronunciation and the region’s cultural identity.
The move also comes in a politically significant year, with Assembly elections scheduled in the state. Earlier this year, Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the official renaming of the state. He argued that the name ‘Keralam’ is deeply rooted in the Malayalam language and embodies the cultural heritage of the region.
With the Cabinet’s approval now in place, the formal process for effecting the name change is set to move forward.
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