President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, paving the way for the state to officially be known as Keralam.

The legislation, passed by the Lok Sabha on August 11 and the Rajya Sabha on August 12, has now become law.

The bill provides for changing the name of the state from Kerala to Keralam and makes the necessary amendments to the Constitution.

In the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the Kerala Assembly had passed a resolution in 2024 urging the Centre to enact legislation to change the state's name to Keralam.

The state government forwarded the Assembly's resolution to the Centre in June 2024.

President Murmu subsequently referred the bill to the Kerala legislature for its views. The Assembly later passed a unanimous resolution supporting the proposed change.

Under the legislation, the name of Kerala will be changed to Keralam in the First Schedule of the Constitution, in accordance with Article 3.