Kolkata: West Bengal Minister of State for Youth Services and Sports Laxmi Ratan Shukla resigned from his post Tuesday. Sources in the state secretariat said that the former captain of the Bengal cricket team however, will continue as a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA. Shukla’s resignation as an MLA will however be a huge jolt to the Trinamool Congress. This move comes within two weeks for former party heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari joining the BJP.
Shukla sent his resignation letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a copy of it to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, sources informed. However, unlike many others who have shifted to the saffron camp, Shukla may not do so. He has expressed the desire to ‘retire from active politics’.
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The 39-year-old Shukla, MLA of Howrah (Uttar), in his resignation letter to Mamata Banerjee expressed his willingness to ‘retire’ from politics, the officials said. Shukla was looking after the affairs of the TMC in Howrah district. There was never an inkling of his resignation even a couple of days back. So his decision to retire has come as a huge shock to the ruling party in West Bengal.
Sources close to the former India cricketer said that Shukla will end out his term as an MLA next year. However, after that he will not contest again. It certainly puts the TMC in a spot as a huge exodus is happening within the party since Suvendu left the part. His brother Soumendu has also switched allegiance to the BJP with more than 2,000 supporters. Soumendu was in charge of the Contai municipality.