Change of Name of States in India: Constitutional Provisions, Procedure and Practice

The Constitution of India establishes a distinctive framework for altering the territorial and symbolic identity of states, including the change of their names. Unlike constitutional amendments requiring a special majority under Article 368, the alteration of a state’s name is governed primarily by Article 3, read with Article 4, and is effected through ordinary parliamentary legislation. This paper examines the constitutional provisions regulating state name changes, the nature of the constitutional scheme as rigid or flexible, and the procedural steps involved, including the roles of the Union Cabinet, the President, Parliament, and state legislatures. It further analyses the federal implications of this mechanism and evaluates historical and contemporary instances of state name changes in India, culminating in the ongoing proposal to rename Kerala as Keralam in 2026. Through doctrinal and case-based analysis, the study argues that Article 3 embodies India’s model of flexible federalism, balancing parliamentary supremacy with consultative federal principles. The paper concludes that the constitutional framework for changing state names reflects adaptability, cultural sensitivity, and institutional continuity within India’s evolving federal structure.