'Mughals altered original name', BJP MLA Neelam Pahalwan proposes renaming Delhi's Najafgarh as Nahargarh

New Delhi: BJP MLA Neelam Pahalwan on Thursday proposed renaming Najafgarh in southwest Delhi as 'Nahargarh', claiming that the Mughals had altered its original name.

Pahalwan, who won the recent Assembly polls from Najafgarh defeating AAP's Tarun Kumar by over 29,000 votes, claimed on the floor of Delhi Assembly that the renaming effort has been in the works for a long time.

"Najafgarh faced many challenges under the Mughal rule during Alam-II's time. During the revolt of 1857, Raja Nahar Singh fought and included the Najafgarh region in Delhi's territory. We have been trying for a long time to change the name from Najafgarh to Nahargarh. The people of the constituency have high hopes that this assembly will support our efforts to change the name," Pahalwan said.

The push for renaming areas appears to be gaining traction among the BJP leaders in Delhi.

After securing victory in Mustafabad, senior BJP leader Mohan Singh Bisht declared that he would propose renaming the constituency as either 'Shiv Puri' or 'Shiv Vihar' once he formally assumed office.

The first session of the eighth Delhi Assembly is presently underway after the BJP's decisive victory in the February 5 elections, which ended AAP's over-a-decade-long rule.

The BJP secured 48 out of 70 seats, while the AAP was reduced to 22. The Congress drew a blank.