A day after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal came out of jail and started campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections, he tangled the BJP in its own unwritten policy of ‘no ticket above 75’ by saying that Narendra Modi would not continue as PM after crossing 75 years of age. Modi will turn 75 on September 17, 2024.
Several key BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah, responded on Saturday, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not retire from active politics upon reaching 75 years old, countering claims about the party’s internal ‘no ticket above 75’ rule.
The policy has been in place for several years. In 2019, Amit Shah stated ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections that the BJP had decided not to field any candidate above the age of 75.
“No one above 75 has been given tickets. This is the party’s decision,” Shah had stated while campaigning for the 2019 elections.
Soon after assuming power in 2014, PM Modi had introduced a rule that leaders above 75 should not hold any administrative post in Central or state governments.
However, on Saturday, he said, “There is no such provision in the BJP’s constitution, and Modi ji will lead the country until 2029 and also lead the forthcoming elections. There is no good news for INDIA bloc… They cannot win elections by spreading such lies.”
“There is no such provision regarding age anywhere in the constitution of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The public knows that every bit and every moment of Modiji is dedicated to the service of India. The vision of ‘Developed India’ is becoming a reality under the leadership of Modiji, and in his next 5 years of tenure, Modiji will take the country to new heights…Modiji is our leader and will continue to lead us in the future too,” added party president JP Nadda.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders accused the saffron party of exhibiting a “double-faced character” by refusing to impose age restrictions on Modi.
Several lawmakers, including Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, questioned whether the PM would retire upon turning 75 (if elected to power for a third term). Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, for instance, resigned from her top post in 2016 as she neared the unwritten 75-year age bar.
For the most part, the BJP seems to be adhering to its policies, with very few party leaders in their early and mid-70s nominated for elections.
76-year-old Yogesh Patel was the party’s oldest nominee for the Gujarat elections in 2022, while 75-year-old Jagannath Singh Raghuvanshi became a candidate for the 2023 Madhya Pradesh elections.
“LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sumitra Mahajan, and Yashwant Sinha were retired, and now PM Modi is going to retire on 17th September. If their government is formed, they will first dispose of Yogi Adityanath and then make Amit Shah the Prime Minister of the country. PM Modi is asking for votes for Amit Shah. Will Amit Shah fulfill Modi’s guarantee?” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal questioned on Saturday.
Currently, 74-year-old Narendra Modi is eligible to contest the Lok Sabha elections, even by the most stringent interpretation of BJP policies. However, both the PM and several leading members of his cabinet, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, will turn 75 during their term in office if voted to power. This raises the question of possible resignations once they hit the ‘cut-off’ age, based on precedence.
