Union Cabinet Approves Renaming Kerala to Keralam Ahead of State Elections

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal to rename Kerala as Keralam, reflecting the state's Malayalam linguistic identity. This decision follows unanimous resolutions by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 2023 and 2024 and initiates a constitutional process under Article 3, involving the President referring the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the state assembly for its views. The move has bipartisan support but has sparked debate, including Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's humorous remarks on new demonyms and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's criticism over her state's pending renaming request.