The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on February 24, 2026, approved a proposal to rename the state of Kerala to "Keralam" — the name derived from the state's own Malayalam language. The decision aligns the official Hindi and English spellings of the state name with the authentic Malayalam pronunciation, where the word ends in the aspirated "m" sound (Keralam).

The renaming requires a constitutional amendment under Article 3 of the Indian Constitution, which governs the formation of new states and alteration of existing state names, boundaries, or areas. The process mandates that a bill be introduced in Parliament and, before its introduction, referred to the state legislature of the concerned state for its views, though the state legislature's concurrence is not legally binding.

The Kerala Legislative Assembly had proactively passed resolutions in both 2023 and 2024 urging the Central Government to effect this name change, reflecting broad political consensus within the state. The Cabinet approval on February 24 marks a significant step forward, initiating the formal constitutional amendment process.

Once the amendment bill is passed by both Houses of Parliament and receives Presidential assent, all central government records, official communications, and constitutional references will be updated from "Kerala" to "Keralam." The change is primarily linguistic and cultural in nature and does not affect the state's geographical boundaries, political status, or administrative structure. Proponents argue the change restores the state's authentic identity as rendered in its own language, ending a colonial-era anglicisation of the name.