Shehzad Poonawalla, BJP national spokesperson, has triggered speculation about a possible exit from active politics after removing the designation ‘National Spokesperson, BJP’ from his X (Formerly known as Twitter) profile and reposting old interview clips in which he spoke about stepping away from politics.
The 38-year-old has not explicitly said he is quitting either the BJP or active politics. There has also been no official confirmation from the party.
Repeated attempts to contact Poonawalla for comment were unsuccessful.
X bio sparks speculation
On Thursday, Poonawalla shared a screenshot of his updated X bio, which reads: “Religion: Islam, Culture: Hindu, Ideology: Bhartiya. Author: GST Ki Yatra.”
While the updated bio describes him as a ‘lifelong follower’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it no longer mentions the BJP or his role as the party’s national spokesperson. However, his Instagram profile continues to identify him as the BJP’s National Spokesperson.
The post carried the caption: “My updated bio.”
Old interview clips resurface
Nearly two hours after posting the updated bio, Poonawalla reposted two interview clips in which he discussed his thoughts on leaving active politics. In one clip, he said he had been involved in politics for nearly two decades.
“I’ve been engaged in active politics for approximately 18–19 years. I started at such a young age and have now reached where I aspired to be.” He added that social service was “much bigger than politics” and revealed that he had considered stepping away after the 2025 Lok Sabha elections.
According to Poonawalla, a viral video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi appearing emotional after returning to power for a third term changed his mind. “There was a video of PM Narendra Modi that had gone viral in which he looked very emotional after returning to power for the third time. Seeing his expressions, and knowing that important elections were coming up in Bengal, Delhi, Maharashtra and Haryana, I decided to stay. I wanted to work hard to help win those elections and then step away from active politics.”
In another reposted clip, Poonawalla argued that political contribution should not be measured solely by electoral success.
“It is a problem that we merge political goals with electoral goals. They are two different things. Thinking I can contribute to society only after achieving electoral success is a mistake. If I don’t become an MP, does that mean I have no role in society or politics? Should I spend all my energy chasing such positions? Some people contribute by becoming elected representatives, while others contribute from outside the system. That does not mean we are apolitical.”
Who is Shehzad Poonawalla?
A lawyer by training, Shehzad Poonawalla began his political career with the Congress. He came into the national spotlight in 2017 after publicly challenging the party’s internal presidential election, alleging that the process was rigged to ensure Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as Congress president. He called for a transparent, merit-based organisational election. The public challenge isolated Poonawalla within the Congress and ultimately led to his exit from the party.
Poonawalla joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in December 2017, and subsequently he was appointed the party’s national spokesperson. Since then, he has emerged as one of the BJP’s most recognisable television debaters, regularly defending the party on issues ranging from governance and elections to opposition politics.
He is the younger brother of political commentator and television personality Tehseen Poonawalla. The two have frequently taken opposing political positions in public.
