Laxmi Ratan Shukla has resigned from the Mamata Banerjee-led cabinet on Wednesday as the Minister of State Sports and Youth Services in West Bengal. The former cricketer is rumoured to join BJP.

A report on Bengali portal The Wall stated that after putting his paper as a minister, he will soon resign as TMC’s district secretary in Howrah and will subsequently quit party membership.

Former TMC behemoth, Suvendu Adhikari had followed a similar path before changing his loyalty to BJP.

However, a report carried by ABP Ananda asserted that Shukla in his letter to the West Bengal Chief Minister informed that he was retiring from politics altogether.

He has reportedly dismissed the rumours that he would join BJP and said that he would complete his term as an MLA.

Speaking on behalf of the party, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said that he was saddened about Shukla’s resignation and informed that they were yet to figure out why he took such a decision.

On the other hand, reports from other sections of Bengali media has speculated that one TMC minister, one MLA and a former TMC mayor of Howrah Municipal Corporation is likely to follow suit after former India cricketer Shukla.

The development comes amid heavy speculations that heavyweight TMC leader in Howrah Rajib Banerjee will be BJP’s next big catch.

The aforementioned minister, who is likely to defect, could be Banerjee – the Minister for Forest Affairs in the Government of West Bengal.

He and Shukla is known to share a cordial relationship with each other and form the camp against another TMC heavyweight in the region, Arup Ray. Interestingly, Shukla had replaced Ray as the party secretary in Howrah.

However, Ray on Tuesday denied not having a good relationship with Shukla and called him his younger brother. He said that the departure of party’s district ahead of election was like losing the leader in a battle.

Even though the former cricketer did not utter anything against TMC or Mamata Banerjee or expressed dissatisfaction, Rajib took a copy-paste approach to let his disenchantment known.

From speaking against TMC’s election consultant Prashant Kishor and his company I-PAC to independent posters, Rajib has been walking an almost similar path as Suvendu Adhikari.

It remains to be seen if he and Shukla, and some other TMC leaders from Howrah, switch to BJP in the presence of Amit Shah later this month.