Mangal Lodha

Early life and education

Mangal Prabhat Lodha was born and brought up in bhinmal, a place in Marwar, Rajasthan and is the son of Shri Guman Mal Lodha, a freedom fighter and the chief justice of the Guwahati High Court. He is married to Mrs. Manju Lodha and has two sons, Abhishek and Abhinandan. Lodha completed his B.Com and LLB from the University of Jodhpur and practiced law in the Jodhpur High Court. Once his father was appointed a judge in the same court, he moved his practice from this court as he believed that it would be inappropriate to practice in the same court in which his father was the judge. In 1981, he moved to Mumbai and laid the foundation of the Lodha Group, which over the years, has grown into one of India’s leading real estate companies.

Career in real estate development

His firm, Lodha Developers, currently has 30 projects under construction covering 35 million square feet, including a 117-story luxury high-rise in central Mumbai called “World One,” with some apartments being designed by world-renowned designer Giorgio Armani. His company was famous for investing over $1 billion in developing New Cuffe Parade, an upcoming township that comprised four 63-storey towers on a 23-acre site. The company is currently being run by his sons, Abhishek and Abhinandan.

Early political career

Even from a young age, Lodha was interested in politics and national issues and was an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in his youth. After passing the mantle of running the business to his sons, Mangal Prabhat Lodha made a conscious decision to devote his remaining time to the service of society.

Member of Legislative Assembly from 1995–present

Lodha has been the representative of the Malabar Hill constituency since 1995, after beating the then incumbent Shri B.A. Desai. As a legislator, Mangal Prabhat Lodha has made significant contributions. He has played a key role in the enactment of the Right to Information Act (RTI), an act that aimed at reducing corruption by giving the common man a tool to gather knowledge. He was also the first to introduce the RTI Bill in the Vidhan Sabha, and ensured that the Bill was passed amidst stern opposition. He helped set up the Animal Welfare Board in Maharashtra and has currently proposed a law against cow slaughter in the state.

On 26 March 2017, Lodha demanded that the Jinnah House, the home of Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah be demolished with a cultural center built in its place. A few days later, Pakistan called for the Jinnah House to be respected.

Social and political contributions

Mangal Prabhat Lodha was influential in bringing separate law/regulations in favour of the construction and development of over 50,000 housing societies. He used his industry-grown credibility as an important link between the government and Mumbai’s business community to implement a number of policies. For example, his charitable trust, the Lodha Foundation, has implemented numerous initiatives for the lesser privileged that encompass areas including education, healthcare, sports and culture. The foundation also provides facilities such as medical treatment, education, vocational training, and sports training to thousands of people.

Some of his trust’s notable social contributions include

Currently, he has proposed the building of a coastal freeway from Nariman Point to Virar and from Nariman Point to Ghatkopar through Eastern Freeway.

Involvement of Lodha in anti-national activities and eroding the economic fibre of the country by indulging in Money Laundering. He is gradually and continuously routing the illegal money to his company’s offshore bank accounts through Hawala.

Positions held