Mamata Banerjee: The recent approval by the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to rename Kerala has triggered political reactions in West Bengal.

On February 24, 2026, the Centre cleared the Kerala (Change of Name) Bill, 2026, following a unanimous resolution passed earlier by the Kerala Legislative Assembly. The resolution sought constitutional recognition of the state’s name in line with its Malayalam identity. The proposal will now take effect after the necessary constitutional amendment is introduced and passed in Parliament.

Reacting to the development, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed dissatisfaction, questioning why a similar proposal for West Bengal has not received approval.

The demand to rename West Bengal as “Bangla” has been pending for several years. In 2018, the West Bengal Assembly passed a resolution seeking to officially change the state’s name to “Bangla” to reflect its linguistic and cultural identity. However, the proposal reportedly faced objections, including concerns raised by the Ministry of External Affairs over possible confusion with neighboring Bangladesh.

Following the Centre’s approval of Kerala’s renaming proposal, Mamata Banerjee has renewed her call for similar consideration for West Bengal. The issue is expected to gain political traction in the coming weeks.