Bengal Minister of State for Youth Services and Sports Laxmi Ratan Shukla resigned from his post on Tuesday, sources in the state secretariat said.

Shukla sent his resignation letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a copy of it to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, they said.

The former cricketer's resignation came almost a fortnight after state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari had left the party and joined BJP.

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accepted the resignation of Laxmi Ratan Shukla and forwarded the letter to Governor Jagdeep Dhankar.

Banerjee, who is also the supremo of the ruling TMC, wished Shukla good luck in the future.

"Laxmi can resign, it does not matter. He is a good boy. It's okay that he left to rejoin cricket. In his letter, he has not written of resigning from the ministry but has expressed his wish to retire from all forms of politics and concentrate on sports and give more time to it," Banerjee told reporters at the secretariat.

The chief minister said that in the resignation letter Shukla, who represents Howrah (Uttar), has written that he will continue as an MLA till the end of the present term of the Assembly.

"He (Shukla) has asked to be relieved from all other responsibilities. So I have recommended the governor to accept his resignation. I wish him to good luck and there is no misunderstanding between us," she added.

Former captain of the Bengal Ranji team, 39-year-old Shukla, MLA of Howrah (Uttar), in his resignation letter to Banerjee expressed his willingness to "retire" from politics, the officials said.

Shukla, who was looking after the TMC affairs in Howrah district, however, has not given up his post as an MLA, they added.

Repeated calls to Shukla's mobile number went unanswered.