As Prime Minister Narendra Modi marks his 75th birthday on September 17, 2025, Indian politics hums with speculation and subtle shifts. Once the unchallenged architect of a resurgent India, Modi’s towering persona—synonymous with economic vigor, nationalist fervor, and unyielding leadership—appears frayed. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) informal retirement norm at 75, rooted in its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), casts a long shadow. Opposition voices probe: Will Modi step aside, or cling to power in a coalition-dependent third term? This moment reflects a deeper rupture, illuminated by Ernesto Laclau’s discourse theory as a “dislocation”—a crisis where the dominant narrative fails to suture social reality, unleashing floating signifiers that hollow out the once-potent empty signifier at its core.
Laclau’s framework views political discourse as a chain of signifiers articulated to construct meaning. An “empty signifier” emerges as the nodal point, embodying the impossible fullness of a community—Modi’s name, for instance, as a vessel for disparate demands: Hindutva revival, Viksit Bharat (Developed India), and anti-corruption crusades. It unifies the hegemonic bloc by floating above specifics. Yet, dislocations occur when external antagonisms or internal failures disrupt this chain, allowing “floating signifiers” like “decline,” “retirement,” or “coalition fragility” to proliferate, rendering the empty signifier vacant. Modi’s aura, once invincible, is undergoing such a transformation, signaling an emerging political condition in India marked by fragmentation, opposition resurgence, and the search for new articulations.
Modi’s ascent in 2014 positioned him as the quintessential empty signifier for a polarized polity. His image absorbed contradictions: Gujarat’s development model masked centralizing authoritarianism; Ram Temple symbolism bridged economic liberalization with cultural nationalism. This hegemony peaked in 2019, but the 2024 elections marked a dislocation. The BJP secured fewer seats than expected, forcing a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition reliant on unpredictable allies like the Telugu Desam Party and Janata Dal (United). This shattered the “Modi wave,” redistributing political oxygen to regional leaders and a revitalized Indian National Congress-led INDIA bloc.
By mid-2025, these fissures have deepened into diminishing returns. Economic challenges—stagnant job growth, inflation, and uneven post-pandemic recovery—have decoupled Modi’s “reformist” signifier from tangible gains. Floating signifiers abound: “Unemployment” evokes youth disillusionment rather than promised achhe din (good days); “Democracy” drifts toward accusations of institutional capture. Public sentiment echoes this hollowness, with critiques of Modi as a figure of “empty words” and “lost spark,” his rhetoric failing amid unfulfilled reforms in education, policing, and administration.
The 75th birthday amplifies this dislocation, injecting the “retirement” signifier into the discourse. The BJP’s own precedents—veterans sidelined at 75—now haunt Modi, whose career benefited from such norms. Opposition demands for clarity and internal RSS pressures to enforce the rule and groom successors like Amit Shah or Yogi Adityanath intensify the crisis. Modi’s third term, shorn of absolute majority, exposes the BJP’s over-reliance on his charisma. Coalition partners, emboldened by 2024’s leverage, demand concessions on federalism and welfare, fragmenting the hegemonic chain. Modi’s vulnerabilities—strained foreign ties and domestic unrest—further erode his narrative.
Emerging is a polity in flux, ripe for re-articulation. The opposition, under Rahul Gandhi’s INDIA alliance, chains floating signifiers around “inclusive growth” and “constitutional defense,” gaining traction in state polls. Internal BJP dissent simmers—right-wing ideologues bemoan unfulfilled promises, while moderates eye post-Modi realignments. Continuity in Modi’s coalition may persist, but empowered regionalism and economic recalibrations could dilute central authority. Laclau warns that dislocations invite new hegemonies. If Modi clings on, his emptying could accelerate BJP’s drift toward harder Hindutva, alienating swing voters. A graceful exit might preserve his legacy, opening space for a post-charismatic era.
At 75, Modi stands at discourse’s precipice—not as the eternal strongman, but as a signifier adrift. India’s political condition, once sutured by his mythos, pulses with possibility: a multipolar arena where floating elements vie for fixation. The birthday candles flicker, but the real firestorm brews in the contest for meaning.
