"2029 Polls Under PM Modi's Leadership": D Fadnavis On "Marathi PM" Remark

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has firmly asserted that the NDA will contest the 2029 Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Asked about the possibility of his succeeding PM Modi at the country's top job, Fadnavis pushed back strongly against recent political speculation. There is "no need to think of anyone else," he said at the "Unstoppable Maharashtra" conclave organised by NDTV Marathi Manch.

"Prime Minister Modi is physically extremely fit; he works harder than a 40-year-old. He puts in more than 17 hours a day and never even yawns during meetings," Fadnavis said. "As long as he remains physically and mentally fit, there is no question of looking beyond him. He will be our leader in 2029 as well," he added.

Fadnavis's remarks come in sharp response to a provocative statement by Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. 

At a press conference last week, Chavan had commented on global political developments and referred to the turmoil in the United States over the past six months over the Epstein files. 

Chavan suggested that if the full details of those documents were to be revealed, their ripple effects could extend to Indian politics as well, and even create the possibility of a Marathi person becoming the Prime Minister.

Chavan's remark gained traction especially because Devendra Fadnavis is frequently mentioned in political circles as one of the potential successors to Prime Minister Modi. Fadnavis's counter, delivered from a prominent public platform, makes the BJP's stance unmistakably clear.

Earlier in the day, marking the first year of his third term in office, Fadnavis thanked the people of Maharashtra for the mandate given to the Mahayuti. "Over the past year, we have worked to put Maharashtra firmly on the path of development," he said during his visit to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.