Lok Sabha Passes Kerala Name Change Bill to Rename State as ‘Keralam’
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, passed The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 by voice vote, approving the official renaming of the state as ‘Keralam’ in the First Schedule of the Constitution of India.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah moved the Bill for consideration and passage in the Lower House, following its formal introduction on August 10 by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai. Alongside the name change legislation, Lok Sabha also passed The National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Both measures now proceed to the Rajya Sabha for parliamentary approval.
Constitutional Procedure Under Article 3
The statutory name change follows the procedure prescribed under Article 3 of the Constitution of India, which governs the formation of new states and the alteration of areas, boundaries, or names of existing states. The bill amends Entry 10 of the First Schedule to replace the nomenclature “Kerala” with “Keralam”.
The legislative process was initiated after the Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution requesting the Union Government to alter the state’s official name across all languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Following the state assembly’s request, the President of India referred the draft measure to the state legislature for expression of views, satisfying the constitutional prerequisite prior to parliamentary introduction.
Parliamentary Proceedings and Other Legislative Matters
The passage of the legislation occurred amidst continued Opposition protests in the House over unrelated administrative issues. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju reiterated the government’s readiness to debate all statutory business listed on the order paper.
Separately, external representations regarding pending legislation were reported. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), led by Cardinal Oswald Gracias, submitted a formal representation to the government requesting that proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) concerning asset management and seizure clauses be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed scrutiny.
With the passage of The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 by the Lok Sabha, the constitutional amendment requires approval from the Rajya Sabha and presidential assent before the name change is officially notified in the Gazette of India.