Shehzad Poonawalla Resigns From BJP Over Financial Pressures

National spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla resigned from all positions and primary membership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in August 2026. After an initial resignation attempt on July 30 was rejected by party leadership, Poonawalla submitted a final letter on August 17 to BJP national president Nitin Nabin, citing pressing emergency financial and personal circumstances.

Poonawalla explained that the 24/7 nature of his political commitments prevented him from pursuing other income, and because the BJP does not pay salaries to spokespersons or workers, he could no longer afford basic expenses such as rent. Despite his departure to enter the private sector, he maintained that he was leaving the party organization but not its ideology or his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Following his exit, Poonawalla criticized the government's treatment of the middle class and launched attacks against Rahul Gandhi, asserting that Gandhi would never become Prime Minister. While ruling out joining another party, he stated he would only consider joining the opposition if the leadership removed Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and apologized for the actions of Jawaharlal Nehru.