Guwahati: BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reportedly citing personal reasons, though neither he nor the party has issued an official statement.
According to reports, Poonawalla has submitted his resignation to the BJP leadership, citing personal reasons.
The development came to light after Poonawalla updated his profile on X, removing the designation “BJP National Spokesperson” from his bio while retaining the description “Lifelong follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
His updated bio reads: “Religion: Islam, Culture: Hindu, ideology: Bhartiya, Author: GST ki Yatra; Lifelong follower of PM Narendra Modi.”
A lawyer by training, Poonawalla began his political career in the Congress. He came into the national spotlight in 2017 after publicly questioning the party’s internal presidential election process, alleging it was designed to favour Rahul Gandhi.
He later quit the Congress and joined the BJP, where he was appointed national spokesperson and emerged as one of the party’s most recognisable television faces, frequently defending the BJP and taking on Opposition leaders in televised debates.
In recent weeks, Poonawalla had shared a series of videos on X that appeared to signal his intention to step away from active politics.
In one clip, recorded in January 2025, he argued that public service should not be viewed solely through the prism of electoral politics and said meaningful contributions could be made outside elected office.
In another video, first shared on June 28 and reposted on Thursday, Poonawalla said he had decided after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to quit active politics but stayed on to assist the BJP during key Assembly elections, including those in West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Bihar and Maharashtra.
“I had decided in 2024 that I would quit active politics. But I stayed for crucial elections… Now I feel that it is time to move on from active politics,” he said in the video.
Poonawalla is the younger brother of political commentator Tehseen Poonawalla, who has remained a critic of the Narendra Modi government and frequently appears in television debates from the Opposition’s perspective. The brothers have often found themselves on opposite sides of political debates since Shehzad left the Congress in 2017.
Neither the BJP nor Poonawalla, has, however, officially confirmed the resignation or commented publicly on the reasons behind the move or his future plans.