The BJP on Thursday appointed Union Minister and East Delhi MP Harsh Malhotra as the new president of its Delhi unit, replacing Virendra Sachdeva in a significant organisational reshuffle aimed at strengthening the party’s structure in the national capital after its return to power earlier this year.
The appointment was announced by BJP national general secretary Arun Singh and came into immediate effect.
A seasoned BJP leader with more than three decades of organisational and political experience, the 62-year-old currently serves as Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs and Road Transport and Highways in the Narendra Modi government. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from East Delhi in 2024 after defeating AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar by a margin of nearly 94,000 votes.
Born in 1964 into a Punjabi family in Delhi, Malhotra comes from an academic background. His father was a government school principal, while his mother taught in a private school. He completed his botany (honours) degree and later obtained LLB degree from Delhi University.
Associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) since childhood, Malhotra formally entered active BJP politics in 1991 in Naveen Shahdara district under senior BJP leader and advocate Alok Kumar.
Beginning his journey in the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and local organisational units, he steadily rose through the ranks, serving as mandal president, district secretary and district president. He got his first major organisational responsibility in 2004 when he was appointed district organisational secretary of Naveen Shahdara district.
Between 2007 and 2010, he served as president of Naveen Shahdara district before moving into larger organisational roles. From 2011 to 2020, he worked in the BJP’s national training wing, and from 2020 to 2024, he served as general secretary of the Delhi BJP.
Malhotra entered electoral politics in 2012 after being elected councillor from the Welcome ward in the erstwhile East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). He chaired the corporation’s education committee from 2012 to 2015 and later became Mayor of the EDMC in 2015-16.
During his tenure in the civic body, he launched the “Suposhan” programme aimed at addressing malnutrition among children studying in municipal schools. The initiative reportedly benefited nearly 60,000 students across East Delhi schools.
Apart from politics, Malhotra has been associated with several social and trade organisations. He serves as president of the Dadhichi Deh Dan Samiti, an NGO promoting awareness about organ donation. He has also remained active in the printing industry and served as president of the Delhi Printers Association and joint secretary of the All India Federation of Master Printers.
Unlike his predecessor Virendra Sachdeva, who primarily handled organisational responsibilities, Malhotra brings with him both administrative and electoral experience as a former mayor, sitting MP and Union minister. Political observers believe the move could further consolidate the BJP’s leadership structure in Delhi ahead of the upcoming civic and organisational activities.
Soon after the announcement, outgoing Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva welcomed Malhotra at the party’s state office in the presence of senior leaders and party workers and formally handed over the charge.
Addressing party workers, Malhotra said all former Delhi BJP presidents under whose guidance he had worked were present to bless him. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president Nitin Nabin for entrusting him with the responsibility.
“Responsibilities in the BJP are like a 400-m relay race. Today, Virendra Sachdeva has handed over the baton to me,” he said, adding that he would work to further strengthen the organisation and support the Delhi government.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who attended the event along with members of her cabinet, credited Sachdeva with strengthening the party organisation and helping the BJP return to power in Delhi after 27 years.
She expressed confidence that Malhotra would continue to guide party workers and strengthen the BJP’s presence across the national capital.
