Fadnavis says Modi will lead beyond 2029, dismisses succession talk

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis dismissed speculation surrounding PM Modi’s potential successor, asserting that Mr. Modi would continue to lead the country even after the 2029 general elections. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday (April 8, 2025) dismissed speculation surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s potential successor, asserting that Mr. Modi would continue to lead the country even after the 2029 general elections.

Addressing the India Global Forum event in Mumbai, Mr. Fadnavis said, “It is not the right time to think of a successor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, because in 2029, Modi will be Prime Minister again.”

His remarks were a direct response to claims made last month (March 2025) by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut. Mr. Raut had suggested that Mr. Modi’s visit to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur on March 30 was linked to his impending retirement.

Mr. Raut alleged that the visit might have been for Mr. Modi to “write his retirement application in September,” alluding to an informal age-based retirement norm sometimes discussed within the BJP for its leaders. Mr. Modi, currently serving his third term, is due to turn 75 in September 2025.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) MP had further said, “It appears that Modi’s heir will be decided by the RSS. The Sangh [RSS] will decide the next leader, and that leader could be from Maharashtra.”

Rejecting these assertions, Mr. Fadnavis countered, “In our culture, when the father is alive, it is inappropriate to talk about succession. That is Mughal culture. The time has not come to discuss it.”

Echoing Mr. Fadnavis’s position, senior RSS leader Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi was also quoted as saying he was “unaware of any talk of replacement” concerning the Prime Minister.

The BJP has consistently maintained that Mr. Modi remains its undisputed leader, with party leaders frequently projecting him as the face of the 2029 general elections as well.