Don't bet on it.

"The BJP...hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure as 'golden chapters of development'," "after Modi overtook Indira Gandhi to become the second-longest serving prime minister of India in consecutive terms after he completed 4,078 days in office on Friday (25 July). Gandhi was in office in an unbroken stint for 4,077 days." DH. Ms Indira Gandhi was prime minister from 24 January 1966 to 24 March 1977 and then again from 14 January 1980 to 31 October 1984. wikipedia. Presumably, the BJP is comparing with her first term in office. However, "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat's remark on stepping aside at the age of 75 has prompted opposition politicians to question its implications for PM Modi, who, like Bhagwat, turns 75 this September." HT. It seems unlikely that Mr Modi will want to retire as he is almost never in his office and the lists of his international and domestic tourism (PM India.gov) suggest he must be hugely enjoying himself. Mr Bhagwat has been a friend and supporter of Mr Modi for decades and Mr Modi has the support of the BJP. The Hindu. Indeed, the rank and file of the BJP would probably want Mr Modi to stay because they see him as an election winner, although the BJP won only 240 seats in the 2024 general election, well short of the 272 required (ECI) to form a government on its own. "Remember how they pasted his picture on Covid-19 vaccine certifications? And on school satchels? Not to speak of every page of every news outlet, although positioning his head just a millimeter above that of pretenders who draw breath from the slightest tilt of his eyebrow. And now the time comes when these mischievous satraps have him gracing even such quotidian pieces of authorisation as railway booking tickets," wrote Badri Raina. On the other hand, the other leaders in the BJP would surely want him to step down so that one of them could grab the seat of prime minister till the next general election in 2029. If Mr Bhagwat keeps his word and steps down on the exact date, the taunts from the opposition and subtle pressure from the other leaders, before they themselves hit the sell-by date, may become intense. Mr Modi himself came through the ranks of the RSS and won elections because of its support, wrote Christophe Jaffrelot, so will he dishonor its tradition? "The Vedas, from whence we are instructed, Hindutva derives, designate 75 as the marker for the jeev atma (the fleshly human) to turn towards the forest in order to renounce this world and begin the quest for moksha (salvation)." So will Mr Modi defy Vedic principles and "stick to his worldly project of finishing the political job of making Bharat great again via her make-over into a theocracy? asked Badri Raina. Will Mr Bhagwat step down in September or will he be pressured to stay? Will Mr Modi go if Mr Bhagwat does? Best not to bet on it. Odds of losing will be 99 to 1.