New Delhi : The "initial scepticism" about Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) new president Nitin Gadkari melted away at the national executive and national council meeting in Indore last week, veteran leader L K Advani said on Feb 22.

When participants arrived at Indore last week, Advani said, they were worried about Gadkari's abilities to inspire confidence in the party cadres "seemingly disheartened and disappointed by two successive setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections of 2004 and 2009".

But the situation changed rapidly. "In those three days I could see all the initial scepticism rapidly melting away so that when the delegates left Indore on the third day all their doubts had been replaced by a mood of optimism and confidence, and a strong feeling that the attributes of transparent frankness and forthrightness that they had been able to discern in the new president were exactly what the party needed at this point of time," Advani wrote in his blog on Feb 22.

Advani, who was appointed as working chairman of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Sunday, added: "... having attended all such gatherings in the past I am in a position to affirm that seldom before have I seen delegates so upbeat, and enthusiastic participants in every single programme at the session as I have seen this time."