Has Shehzad Poonawalla quit the BJP? His social media activity fuels speculation

A simple change in a social media bio and the resurfacing of older remarks about stepping away from public life have sparked fresh buzz around BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla. The speculation gathered pace after he removed the designation of "National Spokesperson, BJP" from his X bio and then reposted clips from old interviews in which he spoke about considering quitting active politics.

The 38-year-old, however, has not explicitly said whether he has decided to quit the BJP or active politics. While his updated X bio no longer carries the party designation, his Instagram profile still describes him as the national spokesperson of the BJP.

On Thursday, Poonawalla shared a screenshot of his updated X bio, which read, "Religion: Islam, Culture: Hindu, Ideology: Bhartiya. Author: GST Ki Yatra ; Lifelong follower of PM Narendra Modi." The caption on the post said, "My updated bio".

Shehzad's hint at quitting active politics

On Friday, he reposted videos in which he hinted at moving on from active politics. Almost two hours later, he reposted two old videos, one dated July 9 and another June 28.

In those clips, he said political contributions need not be made only as electoral representatives. In one of the videos, he said that social service is much bigger than politics. In the same clip, he also said he had been ready to quit after the 2025 Lok Sabha polls.

"There was a video of PM Narendra Modi that had gone viral wherein he looked very emotional after returning to power for the third time. Seeing his expressions and knowing that a few important elections were coming at the time, such as Bengal, Delhi, Maharashtra and Haryana, I decided to stick around. I decided to work hard to win these elections to send a message (of their political strength in the country) and then step away from active politics," he said in the video.

Shehzad Poonawalla's journey so far

He has been a staunch critic of the Opposition and routinely appears as the BJP national spokesperson on TV news shows, political forums and debates. In 2021, he was made in-charge of the BJP's social media wing in Delhi. A lawyer and activist, he began his political journey with the Congress and came into the spotlight in 2017 when he publicly rebelled against his former party, alleging dynasty politics to favour Rahul Gandhi's rise as the party chief.