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The previously longstanding discussions to rename the state of Kerala should the government desire to change its name to something other than Kerala; the UAE-led Union Cabinet on February 24, 2026, endorsed the proposal, reinstating their name to "Keralam." The decision announced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw brings on the nearness of the official English spelling to the standard Malayalam pronunciation, which expresses the linguistic and cultural heritage of the state.

Do so after two unanimous Kerala Legislative Assembly resolutions urging the Centre to change the First Schedule of the Constitution, both in August 2023 and June 2024. The resolution was proposed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and he stressed that the state is actually called Keralam (meaning "land of coconuts" in Malayalam, Kala ner in English, and other scripts), although its name in English is Kerala.

The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which has passed the Cabinet approval, now gets passed by the President to the Kerala Assembly, where he consults its views under Article 3 of the Constitution. Upon the response of the Assembly, the bill may be brought to the Parliament to be debated and passed, burdened with a simple majority and presidential assent to lawmaking, making it a law.

The timing of the Kerala Assembly elections is likely to take place in April-May 2026, months before the political reaction has prompted political reactions. It was there because PM Modi stated it was the will of the people of the state. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, however, expressed the priority, asking sarcastically what the difference it will make when there are people who need development projects, and wondering what a Keralite or Keralan is.

Those who approve the change consider the change as a move towards maintaining the regional identity and uniformity in the linguistic states established in 1956. It is regarded as empty politics by critics but not good governance. In a finalized presentation, the name of the state will be reflected in all its governmental documents, maps, and Eighth Schedule languages, changing forever a historic update of God's own country. Such a process might come to an end before polls, which may affect the sentiment of the voters in this politically focused state of the South.