Shehzad Poonawalla quits BJP, drops party name from X bio—big political twist
New Delhi/IBNS: Shehzad Poonawalla, who served the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a national spokesperson for years, has quit the party, media reports said.
Poonawalla sparked speculation after updating his bio on X, which no longer mentions the BJP. However, he continues to describe himself as a lifelong follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to a CNN-News18 report citing sources, the politician has submitted his resignation to the BJP's top leadership, citing personal reasons.
Poonawalla on stepping away from active politics
Speaking about his political future earlier, Poonawalla told News18: "I’ve been engaged in active politics for approximately 18–19 years. I started at such a young age, so I’ve now completed 18–19 years in active politics.
"In terms of my capacity, I think I’ve reached where I aspired to be. In 2024 itself, I had thought that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office for a third term, I’d move away from active politics."
He further said: "However, after 2024 Lok Sabha win, I realised there was a certain emotion that reflected on PM Modi’s face. Although he’s beyond all this, we concluded that we would strive to win the upcoming elections over the next 1-2 years (Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal) and send out a message. After this, I thought time had come for me to leave active politics and move on."
Political journey
Shehzad Poonawalla began his political career with the Indian Youth Congress and was considered a close associate of several Congress leaders.
He rose to prominence through television debates, where he represented the Congress on political and national issues.
Rift with the Congress
His relationship with the Congress deteriorated in 2017, when he publicly questioned the party's internal election process.
Poonawalla alleged that the election for the Congress president was "fixed" and questioned the elevation of Rahul Gandhi.
His criticism of the party's internal democracy eventually led to his marginalisation within the Congress.
Joining the BJP
In 2022, Poonawalla formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of senior party leaders.
Soon after joining the party, he was appointed as a National Spokesperson and became one of the BJP's prominent media faces, regularly representing the party in television debates, press conferences and on social media.
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