Najafgarh to Nahargarh, Mohammadpur to Madhavpuram: BJP MLAs push for renaming localities in Delhi

Najafgarh to Nahargarh, Mohammadpur to Madhavpuram – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs in Delhi have demanded that constituencies in the national capital be renamed. BJP MLA Neelam Pahalwan, on Thursday, submitted a proposal to the Delhi Assembly to rename Najafgarh to ‘Nahargarh’. Meanwhile, BJP MLA from RK Puram, Anil Sharma, also demanded altering the name of Mohammadpur to Madhavpuram.

As the BJP swept Delhi in the 2025 Assembly Elections, ending a 27-year absence from power in the national capital, some MLAs began focusing on rechristening places as part of their agenda.

Following the declaration of poll results on February 8, which confirmed a BJP majority in the Delhi Assembly, senior BJP leader Mohan Singh Bisht declared that he would rebrand Mustafabad as either "Shiv Puri" or "Shiv Vihar" once he officially took office.

While proposals to change the names of Mohammadpur and Mustafabad are yet to be formally presented in the Delhi Assembly, BJP MLA Neelam Pahalwan submitted a proposal on Thursday, February 27, to rename Najafgarh to Nahargarh.

Najafgarh to Nahargarh

Neelam Pahalwan, who secured a decisive victory in the Delhi elections by defeating Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Tarun Kumar by over 29,000 votes, has proposed renaming Najafgarh to Nahargarh. 

This change, she argues, would honour Raja Nahar Singh, a key figure in the 1857 First War of Independence against British rule.

BJP MLA Pahalwan claimed that the original name was altered by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and restoring it would pay tribute to Raja Nahar Singh's historical significance.

Speaking in the Delhi Assembly, BJP MLA Neelam Pahalwan said, "You know that my constituency is from the rural areas of Delhi, and it borders three areas of Haryana. When the Mughal ruler, Emperor Shah Alam II, took control of Najafgarh, there was a lot of oppression in the region."

"During the 1857 revolt, Raja Nahar Singh fought and brought the Najafgarh area into the Delhi province," Pahalwan added.

Mohammadpur to Madhavpuram

BJP MLA Anil Sharma on Thursday said that he will push for the renaming of Mohammadpur village in the RK Puram constituency to Madhavpuram.

Anil Sharma stated that while the municipal corporation had passed the proposal earlier, it remained pending in the Delhi Assembly under the previous Aam Aadmi Party government. Now, he plans to raise the issue again.

When asked about the reason behind the renaming, Anil Sharma said the decision was based on public demand. "People want this village to be named Madhavpuram instead of Mohammadpur. The new government represents the people's will, and their demands will be met," he said.

Mustafabad to Shivpuri

Mohan Singh Bisht had earlier declared that he would rename Mustafabad as either "Shiv Puri" or "Shiv Vihar" once he officially took office.

"I will change the name of the area from Mustafabad to Shiv Puri or Shiv Vihar. I have stated this before. I fail to understand why political parties are insistent on retaining the name Mustafabad. Why can't an area predominantly inhabited by Hindus be named Shiv Puri or Shiv Vihar? People are troubled by the name 'Mustafa,' and it should be changed. I will make sure it happens," Bisht said while speaking to news agency ANI.

Mustafabad, a Muslim-majority constituency in North-East Delhi, was severely affected by the 2020 communal riots. In recent elections, BJP's Mohan Singh Bisht, a four-time MLA from Karawal Nagar, won the seat by a margin of over 17,500 votes, defeating AAP's Adeel Ahmad.