Thiruvananthapuram: Although the Union government has approved the proposal to change the state’s name from Kerala to “Keralam”, it will most likely take months before it is officially implemented.

The move is likely to be completed only after the next Assembly is constituted following the elections, as several procedural steps remain.

Further steps in the state can begin only after the Union government passes a law formalising the name change. The Centre will take time to prepare the bill, which will be introduced with the President’s recommendation and sent to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for its views. The Assembly must convene to respond to the bill. As the state is on the verge of elections, the opportunity to give its opinion will likely fall to the next Assembly.

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Although the Kerala Assembly had earlier passed a unanimous resolution seeking the name change, former Lok Sabha Secretary-General PDT Achary said that does not suffice.

“The state must express its opinion on the Bill itself. A position taken before the Bill is drafted has no relevance,” he said.

Under the Constitution, the Centre only seeks the state’s views formally in matters related to name or boundary changes. Even if the state disagrees, Parliament can proceed with the Bill after a stipulated period.

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The change will mainly affect English and Hindi usage, as the state is already referred to as “Keralam” in Malayalam. Once implemented, official English references will read “Government of Keralam.” Questions may also arise in Malayalam usage over whether to retain “Kerala Government” or adopt “Keralam Government.”

The transition will involve high costs. Government office signboards, seals, letterheads, websites, portals, and mobile applications will all need updating. The name of the Assembly, currently “Kerala Legislative Assembly, may also require modification.

However, the names of the High Court and universities will remain unchanged. Many public sector undertakings carry the word “Kerala” in their titles, and renaming them would entail substantial additional expenditure, potentially running into crores of rupees.