BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla resigns, cites personal reasons: Report

Shehzad Poonawalla, who served as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national spokesperson, has resigned from the party, according to reports. While neither Poonawalla nor the BJP has issued an official statement, he has removed the party designation from his X (formerly Twitter) profile, where he now describes himself as a “lifelong follower” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to CNN-News18, Poonawalla submitted his resignation to the BJP leadership, citing personal reasons for stepping down.

Poonawalla joined the BJP in 2017 after leaving the Congress over differences regarding the party’s presidential election process. He later rose to become one of the BJP’s prominent national spokespersons, frequently defending the government and criticising the Congress and its leaders, including Rahul Gandhi.

Social media posts hinted at exit

In recent weeks, Poonawalla shared several old interview clips on X that appeared to foreshadow his departure from active politics.

In one video, originally recorded in January 2025, he spoke about separating political service from electoral ambitions, saying public contribution was not limited to becoming an elected representative.

In another clip, he said he had considered the 2024 Lok Sabha election to be his last and had stayed on only for key state elections, including those in West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Bihar and Maharashtra.

He had first posted the video on June 28 with the caption, “I’m already 2 years late on this..”, and reshared it on Thursday, further fuelling speculation about his decision to step away from active politics.