Modi Fends Off Succession Talk in India Despite Setbacks

Just over a year ago, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reeled from the worst election setback of his career, speculation mounted that the nation’s most dominant politician in a generation was at risk of losing power.

Opposition groups and commentators openly discussed whether Modi might finally step aside after his party was forced into a coalition government for the first time since coming to power a decade earlier. Fanning the speculation was the fact that Modi would soon turn 75 — his party’s unofficial retirement age, and a milestone when other Indian leaders in his party had ceded power.