Guwahati: BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla resigned from the party on Monday, citing pressing personal and financial circumstances and announcing his decision to move to the private sector.
Poonawalla said he had submitted his resignation on July 30, but the party leadership initially declined to accept it and asked him to reconsider. After further deliberation, he said he had decided to step down from both his position as national spokesperson and the BJP’s primary membership.
In his resignation letter addressed to BJP president Nitin Nabin, Poonawalla referred to developments involving certain individuals but did not name anyone. He said those events had reinforced his decision to leave.
The 38-year-old leader expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nitin Nabin, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santosh for the opportunities he received during his five years with the party.
Poonawalla said his decision was driven by urgent personal and financial circumstances and that he would now pursue opportunities in the private sector. At the same time, he said he would continue to support the Prime Minister’s vision and the BJP’s work wherever possible.
He described his departure as leaving the organisational “Vyavastha” rather than distancing himself from the “Vyakti or Vichar” associated with Prime Minister Modi and the BJP.
Poonawalla had earlier removed the designation of BJP national spokesperson from his X profile in late July, while continuing to describe himself as a lifelong follower of Prime Minister Modi.
A lawyer by profession, Poonawalla began his political career with the Congress before later joining the BJP.
He gained wider attention in 2017 after publicly challenging the Congress leadership’s internal election process, alleging that it had been structured to favour Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as party president.
He subsequently left the Congress and joined the BJP, becoming one of the party’s prominent television debate representatives.