Asia | Heirs in races

Who could replace Narendra Modi?

A leadership struggle is brewing in India’s ruling party

Photograph: Reuters
|Delhi

Arvind Kejriwal left prison determined to make up for lost time. Delhi’s chief minister, who also leads an opposition party, had been in jail since March on corruption charges that he says were politically motivated. Released on interim bail on May 10th, midway through a six-week general election, he denounced the prime minister, Narendra Modi, as a “dictator” at a news conference the next day. Mr Kejriwal also lobbed an unexpected political grenade, claiming that if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins a third consecutive election victory as expected, Mr Modi would step down next year when he hits the party’s unofficial retirement age of 75.

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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Who could replace Narendra Modi?”

From the May 18th 2024 edition

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