A usual frantic Friday afternoon at Dadar East opposite the defunct Ranjeet studio had an added edge yesterday. The road leading to the BJP office opposite the studio was lined with hoardings of Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha who took over as Mumbai BJP president. Dhol-taashe rent the air and shopkeepers swarmed outside the building. Their businesses could wait; the chief minister was to attend the function they had heard."

The hall on the third floor of the office was packed with organisers begging people to keep the mid-passage clear. A roar went up as Lodha entered. Vande Mataram rang out through the hall and people shouted, "Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji..." A good one-and-a-half-hours later Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis arrived. Party MLA from Vile Parle, Parag A introduced Lodha saying, "He is inspirational. He has been fighting elections since college days. He is the ultimate strategist." When Lodha took the mike, he credited others for the BJP win saying, "In Indian culture somebody sows the seeds and others have the fruit." He claims, "This is BJP's golden phase. It is a leadership of action, not empty words." Lodha added, "We will take action against illegal immigrants. The BJP will not sacrifice national security to appease any community. We have to work towards a 36-0 win in the upcoming elections."