In 2029, will the BJP need to find a new face for the Prime Minister’s position? This question has sparked political discussions in Maharashtra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently 75 years old and will be 78 by 2029.
A few years ago, he had introduced an unwritten rule that leaders should step away from active politics after turning 75 to give opportunities to the younger generation. This has now led to speculation about whether the same rule will apply to him and whether the BJP will look for a new Prime Ministerial candidate in 2029.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) leader Sanjay Raut made a suggestive statement, indicating that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis could be Modi’s successor. Sanjay Raut has claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur on Sunday was his first in the past 10–12 years.
According to Raut, the RSS will decide the next leader from Maharashtra, and Modi is preparing to step down from power in line with the RSS’s 75-year age limit policy. On Sunday, PM Modi attended an RSS event, and Raut made these remarks while commenting on it. He also suggested that Modi’s successor could be from Maharashtra, indirectly hinting at Devendra Fadnavis.
Sanjay Raut stated that BJP National President J.P. Nadda had earlier claimed that the party does not need the RSS to achieve its “400-plus” seat target. He pointed out that whenever the national president speaks, it reflects Prime Minister Modi’s stance. “understand why Modi had to visit the RSS headquarters,” Raut remarked, hinting that there might be deeper political implications behind the visit.
On Sunday, March 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur. During his visit, he paid homage at the memorials of the RSS’s founding Sarsanghchalak, Dr. Hedgewar, and its second chief, Guruji Golwalkar. He also laid the foundation stone for the newly expanded building of Madhav Netralaya, a healthcare institution associated with the Sangh Parivar. Since taking charge as Prime Minister, Modi has visited Nagpur multiple times. However, his convoy had never turned towards the RSS headquarters.
This was his first visit to the RSS headquarters after 2014. During the visit, the Prime Minister praised the RSS and its contributions. There had been speculation about a rift between the BJP and the RSS after last year’s Lok Sabha elections. Modi’s visit was seen as an attempt to bridge that gap. However, Sanjay Raut’s sensational claims have now turned the visit into a political controversy.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has responded to Sanjay Raut’s claims by stating that the state government is functioning with the confidence of all and will work alongside anyone who contributes to Maharashtra’s development. He emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fully capable and does not face any difficulties, making the search for his successor unnecessary. “He can continue working for many more years, and in 2029, the country sees him as the Prime Minister,” Fadnavis asserted.
He further remarked, “It is not our tradition to look for a successor while the leader is still alive. That is a Mughal-era practice. I am not in the race for succession,” Fadnavis made this statement while speaking to the media after an event in Nagpur.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, senior RSS leader Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi said he was not aware of any discussions about replacing Prime Minister Modi. When asked about Sanjay Raut’s claim that the RSS would select Modi’s successor from Maharashtra, he simply said, “I don’t have any such information.”
