New Delhi: BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has decided to leave the party, citing pressing personal and financial circumstances.
Poonawalla has submitted his resignation to BJP national president Nitin Nabin and asked the party to relieve him of his responsibilities as national spokesperson as well as his primary membership.
Poonawalla said he had first submitted his resignation on July 30, but the BJP leadership did not accept it at the time and asked him to reconsider.
After thinking over the matter again, he has now reaffirmed his decision. He said recent developments involving certain individuals, whom he had previously discussed with the party leadership, strengthened his decision to step away.
However, he has not publicly named those individuals or given further details about the issues involved.
In his resignation letter, Poonawalla said he plans to move into the private sector because of his current personal and financial circumstances.
At the same time, he made it clear that his resignation from the BJP organisation does not mean he is giving up his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the BJP's broader political vision.
He thanked PM Modi, BJP president Nitin Nabin, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior party leaders for the opportunities and support he received during his time in the BJP.
Poonawalla also posted his resignation letter on his official X account, confirming that he had once again requested the BJP to accept his resignation.
Read his post here:
While announcing his exit, Poonawalla thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Nabin.
He also made it clear that leaving the party organisation does not mean he is turning away from the political vision he has supported.
Poonawalla, a lawyer, began his political career with the Congress. He came into the spotlight in 2017 after publicly questioning the Congress's internal election process.
He later left the Congress and joined the BJP, eventually becoming one of the party's most recognisable faces in television debates.
For now, Poonawalla says he will focus on the private sector. He has also indicated that he will continue to support PM Modi and the BJP's vision, even though he is leaving the party organisation.
His resignation therefore marks a major change in the political career of a leader who has been a familiar face in BJP's media and television campaigns.