Sanjay Raut ignites PM Modi successor debate; BJP refutes

In this screengrab from a video posted by @nitin_gadkari via X on March 30, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat during a visit to RSS founder KB Hedgewar’s memorial, in Nagpur, Maharashtra. – Photo Credit: PTI

RSS will decide PM’s successor, who will probably be from Maharashtra, says Sanjay Raut. BJP denies it

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh will decide the successor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut said on Monday March 31, 2025 , adding that the successor will probably be from Maharashtra. The BJP was quick to refute these speculations. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the country and the party looked at Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister in 2029 as well, and that it was a Mughal tradition to speak of succession when the ‘father was alive’.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh will decide the successor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut said on Monday March 31, 2025 , adding that the successor will probably be from Maharashtra. The BJP was quick to refute these speculations. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the country and the party looked at Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister in 2029 as well, and that it was a Mughal tradition to speak of succession when the ‘father was alive’.

The BJP was quick to refute these speculations. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Mr. Fadnavis said, “We look at the Prime Minister as our leader. There is no question of choosing a successor. The time for it has not yet come. As far as I am concerned, my name is not there.”

Slamming the speculations, he said, “There is no reason to choose a successor for Modiji. Modiji is our leader. He is going to work for many more years. We have been insistent that we look at Modiji as the PM in the year 2029 as well. There is no point in speaking of it now. In our Indian tradition, we don’t think of succession when the father is alive. It is a Mughal tradition that children think of succession when the father is alive. This is not the time to think of it. That time has not yet come.”

PM Narendra Modi pays tributes to RSS founder K.B. Hedgewar, Ambedkar in Nagpur

Modi was in Nagpur on Sunday on his first visit to the RSS headquarter since the time he became the Prime Minister as the organisation celebrates its centenary this year.

Narendra Modi is 74-years old at present, and will turn 75 this September. The opposition has questioned if PM Modi too will step down like other top BJP leaders after turning 75 years.