The name of Kerala state may be officially changed to ‘Keralaam’. According to reports, this proposal is likely to be considered in the Central Government Cabinet today. The Kerala Assembly had twice unanimously passed a resolution that the name of the state as it is written and spoken in Malayalam language – ‘Keralam’, should be adopted in the Constitution as well. If the Cabinet approves, the First Schedule of the Constitution will be amended and the name of the state will become ‘Keralaam’ in all the languages of the Eighth Schedule.
Tharoor raised questions on changing the name of Kerala
Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Shashi Tharoor commented on this news. He wrote on
Tharoor further said, ‘Keralamite looks like a germ and Carmelian looks like a rare mineral.’ Tagging the Kerala Chief Minister’s Office, he suggested that a competition could be started for new words.
All to the good, no doubt, but a small linguistic question for the Anglophones among us: what happens now to the terms “Keralite” and “Keralan” for the denizens of the new “Keralam”? “Keralamite” sounds like a microbe and “Keralamian” like a rare earth mineral…! @CMOKerala maybe…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 24, 2026
CM Pinarayi had presented the proposal in 2024
This proposal was brought in the Kerala Assembly in 2024. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself introduced it and said that ‘Kerala’ is written in English, but in Malayalam the state is called ‘Keralaam’. The Assembly requested the Center to change the name by amending Article 3.
After the proposal was passed in 2024, the Home Ministry suggested some technical changes, after which the proposal was passed again in June 2025. Now this issue may arise in the cabinet of Modi government at the Centre, especially before the assembly elections in the state.
This proposal is supported by all parties
The ruling LDF (CPM), Congress and opposition BJP all agree in the state. BJP state president Rajiv Chandrashekhar said that the new name would be fine because ‘we will become a state that protects and carries forward our traditions and culture.’ He said that every Malayali wants change and has to move away from false politics and bring in politics of performance.
However, the cabinet meeting is going on now and the final decision is about to come. If approved, Kerala will soon become ‘Keralaam’ and the fun phase of finding new words for Shashi Tharoor will begin.
