As dust settles on the Assembly elections in India, race for government formation has intensified. While actor-turned-politician Vijay is yet to cobble up numbers to form a government in Tamil Nadu, Chief Ministerial faces are yet to be finalised in West Bengal and Keralam.


Vijay Hunts for Allies to Form Government, Suspense Over CM Deepens in WB & Keralam

A political tussle is intensifying in Kerala as factions within the UDF clash over who will take the Chief Minister’s post after their electoral win. K. C. Venugopal claims the backing of a majority of Congress MLAs, while V. D. Satheesan asserts strong grassroots support among party workers. The internal battle has put the spotlight on leadership dynamics within the alliance, even as supporters await clarity.


KC Venugopal vs VD Satheesan: Power Tussle Over CM Face in Keralam

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday responded after the Union Cabinet approved the renaming of Kerala as ‘Keralam’, stating 'What happens to Keralite now' and questioned what residents of the state will be called in English. Tharoor's remarks came after the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution twice urging the Centre to amend the Constitution so that the state's name is reflected in its Malayalam form across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule.&nbsp;“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”?, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said in a post on social media platform X.&nbsp;“Keralamite” sounds like a microbe and “Keralamian” like a rare earth mineral…!" he continued on X, tagging Kerala CMO, and adding that “might want to launch a competition for new terms resulting from this electoral zeal.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">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…! <a href="https://twitter.com/CMOKerala?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CMOKerala</a> might…&mdash; Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/2026209790582837418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h3>The decision to change name was taken during cabinet meeting&nbsp;</h3>Earlier in the day, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Narendra Modi, cleared the Kerala government’s proposal to officially rename the state as ‘Keralam’. The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting held at Seva Teerth, the newly inaugurated Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Secretariat complex.&nbsp;Commenting on the move, state BJP president Rajeev Chandrashekhar highlighted that the new name will be suitable because “we are going to be a state that is going to restore and protect our traditions and culture and also build a forward-looking state economy”. "It is clear that every Malayali wants change and wants to set aside politics of lies and fake promises and bring in politics of performance....," he said, news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;The move to change the name of the Kerala was supported by all political party in the assembly, including CPM, Congress and the BJP. Previously, the Assembly had adopted a similar resolution in August 2023, but later, the decision to change name was reintroduced after the Ministry of Home Affairs suggested certain technical modifications.&nbsp;While moving the resolution in the State Assembly, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan underscored that the demand to recognise the state as ‘Keralam’ was first initated during the national freedom struggle and movement for a unified state for Malayalam-speaking people. He demanded the Centre to launch the renaming process under Article 3 of the Constitution and ensuring reflection of the name across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule. &nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/god-s-own-country-to-officially-become-keralam-union-cabinet-approves-decision-to-rename-kerala-1771932449695">God’s Own Country to officially become 'Keralam': Union Cabinet approves decision to rename Kerala</a>

Shashi Tharoor's remarks followed after the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution twice urging the Centre to amend the Constitution so that the state's name is reflected in its Malayalam form across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday responded after the Union Cabinet approved the renaming of Kerala as ‘Keralam’, stating 'What happens to Keralite now' and questioned what residents of the state will be called in English. Tharoor's remarks came after the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution twice urging the Centre to amend the Constitution so that the state's name is reflected in its Malayalam form across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule. “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”?, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said in a post on social media platform X. “Keralamite” sounds like a microbe and “Keralamian” like a rare earth mineral…!" he continued on X, tagging Kerala CMO, and adding that “might want to launch a competition for new terms resulting from this electoral zeal.”

Shashi Tharoor's remarks followed after the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution twice urging the Centre to amend the Constitution so that the state's name is reflected in its Malayalam form across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule.

'Keralamite sounds like microbe': Tharoor quips after centre gives nod for name change Kerala as 'Keralam'

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday (Feb 24) approved the proposal to alter the name of the state of “Kerala” to “Keralam”. The decision comes after the Kerala government moved a resolution to change the state’s name under Article 3 of the Constitution of India. The development comes ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in the state, the dates for which are yet to be decided.&nbsp;After the Union Cabinet’s approval, the President of India will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to the Kerala State Legislative Assembly to seek its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India.&nbsp;Once the Assembly sends its opinion, the Government of India will take further steps. The President’s recommendation will then be obtained to introduce the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, in Parliament to change the state’s name from “Kerala” to “Keralam”.&nbsp;The Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed resolutions for the name change twice, first in August 2023 and again on June 24, 2024. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who moved the resolution, stated that while the state is called "Keralam" in Malayalam, it was recorded as "Kerala" in the First Schedule of the Constitution during the 1956 linguistic reorganisation.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-trump-trade-war-in-asia-ignites-as-china-imposes-restrictions-on-japan-over-remilitarisation-1771930000748">After Trump, trade war in Asia ignites as China imposes restrictions on Japan over ‘remilitarisation’</a>&nbsp;“The name of our State is ‘Keralam’ in the Malayalam Language. States were formed on the basis of language on the 1st day of November, 1956. The Kerala Piravi Day is also on the 1st day of November. Since the time of the National Independence Struggle, there has been a strong demand for the formation of United Kerala for the people speaking the Malayalam language. But in the First Schedule to the Constitution, the name of our State is recorded as “Kerala’. This Assembly unanimously appeals to the Central Government to take urgent steps as per Article 3 of the Constitution for modifying the name as ‘Keralam’,” the resolutions read.&nbsp;The decision comes in a series of recent name changes by governments, including Gurgaon to Gurugram, Allahabad to Prayagraj, and Faizabad to Ayodhya.

The Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed resolutions for the name change twice, first in August 2023 and again on June 24, 2024.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday (Feb 24) approved the proposal to alter the name of the state of “Kerala” to “Keralam”. The decision comes after the Kerala government moved a resolution to change the state’s name under Article 3 of the Constitution of India. The development comes ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in the state, the dates for which are yet to be decided. After the Union Cabinet’s approval, the President of India will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to the Kerala State Legislative Assembly to seek its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India. Once the Assembly sends its opinion, the Government of India will take further steps. The President’s recommendation will then be obtained to introduce the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, in Parliament to change the state’s name from “Kerala” to “Keralam”. The Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed resolutions for the name change twice, first in August 2023 and again on June 24, 2024. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who moved the resolution, stated that while the state is called "Keralam" in Malayalam, it was recorded as "Kerala" in the First Schedule of the Constitution during the 1956 linguistic reorganisation. Also Read: After Trump, trade war in Asia ignites as China imposes restrictions on Japan over ‘remilitarisation’ “The name of our State is ‘Keralam’ in the Malayalam Language. States were formed on the basis of language on the 1st day of November, 1956. The Kerala Piravi Day is also on the 1st day of November. Since the time of the National Independence Struggle, there has been a strong demand for the formation of United Kerala for the people speaking the Malayalam language. But in the First Schedule to the Constitution, the name of our State is recorded as “Kerala’. This Assembly unanimously appeals to the Central Government to take urgent steps as per Article 3 of the Constitution for modifying the name as ‘Keralam’,” the resolutions read. The decision comes in a series of recent name changes by governments, including Gurgaon to Gurugram, Allahabad to Prayagraj, and Faizabad to Ayodhya.

The Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed resolutions for the name change twice, first in August 2023 and again on June 24, 2024.

God’s Own Country to officially become 'Keralam': Union Cabinet approves decision to rename Kerala

In a unanimous decision, the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Monday (June 24)&nbsp;passed a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to change the state's official name from 'Kerala' to 'Keralam'.

The resolution, moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, calls for invoking Article 3 of the Indian Constitution to effectuate this change in the First Schedule.

This is the second time the assembly has passed such a resolution, after the previous one sent to the central government last year faced some technical objections.

Vijayan highlighted that despite 'Keralam' being the commonly used name for the state in the Malayalam language, the official records continue to refer to it as 'Kerala'.

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The assembly will now send the resolution to the central government for approval. This move by the Kerala government is part of a longstanding demand to officially recognise the Malayalam name of the state.

The resolution argued that the name 'Keralam' has strong historical and linguistic roots, dating back to the national freedom struggle.&nbsp;

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"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 and have it renamed as 'Keralam' in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution," Vijayan said, as per PTI news agency.&nbsp;

<h2>Previous state name changes&nbsp;</h2>

In recent years, there have been several instances of Indian states and cities changing their names.&nbsp;Orissa was renamed to Odisha in 2011,&nbsp;Pondicherry being renamed to Puducherry in 2006,&nbsp;Bombay being renamed to Mumbai in 1995,&nbsp;Madras being renamed to Chennai in 1996,&nbsp;Calcutta being renamed to Kolkata in 2001 and Bangalore being renamed to Bengaluru in 2007.&nbsp;

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The process of renaming states requires approval from the Parliament, while cities can be renamed by state legislatures.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

In a unanimous decision, the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Monday (June 24) passed a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to change the state's official name from 'Kerala' to 'Keralam'.

In a unanimous decision, the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Monday (June 24) passed a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to change the state's official name from 'Kerala' to 'Keralam'. The resolution, moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, calls for invoking Article 3 of the Indian Constitution to effectuate this change in the First Schedule. This is the second time the assembly has passed such a resolution, after the previous one sent to the central government last year faced some technical objections. Vijayan highlighted that despite 'Keralam' being the commonly used name for the state in the Malayalam language, the official records continue to refer to it as 'Kerala'. Also Read | Tragic bet turns deadly: Lucknow youth killed in viral tractor stunt challenge The assembly will now send the resolution to the central government for approval. This move by the Kerala government is part of a longstanding demand to officially recognise the Malayalam name of the state. The resolution argued that the name 'Keralam' has strong historical and linguistic roots, dating back to the national freedom struggle. Also Read | Delhi Minister Atishi says 'indefinite fast will continue until Delhiites get water' "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 and have it renamed as 'Keralam' in all the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution," Vijayan said, as per PTI news agency. Previous state name changes In recent years, there have been several instances of Indian states and cities changing their names. Orissa was renamed to Odisha in 2011, Pondicherry being renamed to Puducherry in 2006, Bombay being renamed to Mumbai in 1995, Madras being renamed to Chennai in 1996, Calcutta being renamed to Kolkata in 2001 and Bangalore being renamed to Bengaluru in 2007. Watch | Indian envoy pays homage to victims of the Air India Kanishka bombing incident × The process of renaming states requires approval from the Parliament, while cities can be renamed by state legislatures. (With inputs from agencies)

Kerala Assembly passes resolution to officially change state's name to 'Keralam'

Southern Indian state of Kerala wants to change its name to Keralam. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan introduced a resolution for this in the Kerala Assembly. It requests the central government to officially rename Kerala to 'Keralam,' which is the accepted usage in the state's language Malayalam.

India | Kerala seeks to change its name: Kerala vs Keralam, what do people want?

Kerala to be renamed Keralam: Why is Indian state govt making this move?

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