Big Pre-Poll Move? Kerala To Be Renamed As Keralam

The Union Cabinet of India is likely to approve a bill to rename Kerala as Keralam at its meeting on Wednesday, marking a significant political and administrative move ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, sources said.

The Kerala Legislative Assembly has already passed a resolution seeking the name change in official records. The state is expected to go to the polls before May to elect 140 members of the Assembly, though the Election Commission of India has not yet announced the election schedule.

State Push for Name Change

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had moved the resolution in 2024, urging the Centre to rename the state as "Keralam" in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. He argued that "Keralam" is the state's name in Malayalam and better reflects its linguistic and cultural identity.

The Assembly passed the resolution for the second time on June 25, 2024, after the Union Home Ministry sought technical clarifications on the earlier version.

"But the name of our state is written as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution. This Assembly requests the Centre to take immediate steps to amend it as 'Keralam' under Article 3 of the Constitution," Vijayan had said while moving the resolution.

Historical and Constitutional Context

The Chief Minister has maintained that the demand for a unified Kerala - or Keralam - for Malayalam-speaking regions dates back to the freedom movement. The proposed change would require an amendment to the First Schedule of the Constitution to reflect the new name in official records across languages.

Cabinet Meet at New PMO Complex

The Cabinet meeting is being held at Seva Tirtha, the new office complex of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the first Cabinet meeting at the new venue. The previous meeting was held on February 13 at the Prime Minister's Office in South Block, shortly before the shift.