Shehzad Poonawalla on Monday resigned from the BJP, citing what he described as pressing financial and personal circumstances.

The BJP’s national spokesperson said he had first submitted his resignation on July 30. However, the party did not accept it at the time and asked him to reconsider his decision.

Poonawalla has now reiterated his decision to step down as the BJP’s national spokesperson and relinquish his primary membership of the party.

In his resignation letter to BJP president Nitin Nabin, Poonawalla said that after “long and hard contemplation”, he had decided to seek relief from his organisational responsibilities and active primary membership.

He also referred to developments involving certain individuals in recent days, saying they had reinforced his earlier decision. He did not name anyone in his letter.

Shehzad Poonawalla thanks BJP leadership

Poonawalla said he was touched that the BJP had initially declined to accept his resignation and expressed gratitude towards the party leadership.

He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Nitin Nabin, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santosh for the platform and opportunities he received during his five years with the party.

Poonawalla said his decision to leave was not driven by any sense of hurt and described his sentiments towards the party leadership with “gratefulness, love, affection, and highest regard”.

He said that his decision was linked to pressing financial and personal circumstances and that he would move into the private sector.

At the same time, Poonawalla said he would continue to support Prime Minister Modi’s vision and work, as well as that of the BJP, wherever possible.

“I am only leaving the Vyavastha not the Vyakti or Vichar,” he said.

Shehzad Poonawalla’s political journey

A lawyer, Poonawalla began his political career with the Congress before later joining the BJP.

He came into prominence in 2017 after publicly questioning the Congress’s internal election process. He alleged that the process was rigged in favour of Rahul Gandhi for the post of party president.

Poonawalla subsequently left the Congress and joined the BJP, where he became one of the party’s prominent representatives in television debates.

On July 30, he had also changed his bio on X, removing the reference to himself as “BJP National Spokesperson” while retaining his description as a lifelong follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

At least seven devotees were killed and several others injured in a stampede-like incident outside the Ashok Dham Temple in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district on Monday. The incident occurred amid a heavy rush of worshippers on the third Monday of the Sawan month.

Officials said panic may have spread after an electric pole collapsed near the queues, with rumours circulating that a live wire had fallen into the crowd. Authorities later said the fallen wire was a cable.

Crowd surge triggers chaos at temple

Lakhisarai District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar said an unprecedented surge in the number of devotees was further intensified by the arrival of two trains around 6.30-6.45 am.

According to the district magistrate, a barricade outside the temple broke under the pressure of the crowd, causing people to fall over one another.

He said arrangements had been made in anticipation of a large gathering, while police and administrative personnel had been monitoring the area since around 3 am.

Electric pole collapse sparks panic

Kumar said an electric pole on the right side of the men’s queue suddenly fell. A rumour then spread that a live electric wire had fallen on devotees.

He said the wire was actually a cable, but the rumour caused pressure to build in the women’s queue on the other side. Several women subsequently fell on top of one another.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Shivam Kumar said preliminary information indicated that an electric pole had fallen and that people may have been electrocuted, leading to the stampede-like situation.

However, he said the exact cause would be established only after a detailed verification of the facts.

Rescue operations launched

Following the incident, police and administrative teams reached the temple and began rescue operations. The injured devotees were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described the incident as extremely tragic and directed the administration to ensure proper and prompt medical treatment for those injured.

The Chief Minister also announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh for the family of each person who died.

Ashok Dham Temple draws Sawan crowds

The Ashok Dham Temple, also known as Shri Indradamaneshwar Mahadev Temple, houses a large Shivalinga and attracts a significant number of devotees during Sawan.

Former West Bengal Assembly deputy speaker and Trinamool Congress leader Asish Banerjee was found dead at a party office next to his residence in Rampurhat, Birbhum district, on Sunday morning.

Police said his body was found hanging and was sent for postmortem. A large crowd gathered outside the Trinamool Congress office after news of his death spread.

Who was Asish Banerjee?

Asish Banerjee had served as the deputy speaker of the West Bengal Assembly when Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was the state’s chief minister. He was also a five-time MLA from Rampurhat.

He had served as Bengal’s education and agriculture minister after Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress first came to power in the state.

Banerjee contested the West Bengal Assembly election earlier this year but lost the Rampurhat seat to BJP’s Dhruba Saha.

Asish Banerjee’s recent party role

Banerjee stepped down as chairman of the Trinamool Congress’s Birbhum district core committee in June. At the time, he said he would continue as a general member of the party.

He lived in the Hattalapara neighbourhood of Rampurhat, with the party office where his body was found located next to his house.

BJP gains in Birbhum

The BJP won six of the 11 Assembly constituencies in Birbhum in the latest state election. This marked a significant change from 2021, when the Trinamool Congress had won 10 seats in the district while the BJP had secured one.

Police have sent Asish Banerjee’s body for postmortem as the circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated.