Nandigram legislator Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday submitted his resignation as MLA in further indication of his switch from the Trinamul Congress to the BJP along with loyalists months before Assembly polls.

However, the resignation letter was not handwritten by Adhikari in the presence of the Speaker and handed over directly, as mandated by rules.

Adhikari is likely to visit Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah this week. The rebellious leader suddenly showed up at the Assembly building around 4pm, three hours after Speaker Biman Banerjee had left.

The former minister delivered the handwritten resignation letter to officials and left. Speaker Banerjee later said he would look into the matter and act according to the rules, as the letter had neither been handwritten in his presence nor handed to him directly.

“I do hereby tender my resignation from the member (sic) of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly. Steps may be taken for its immediate acceptance,” wrote Adhikari, who turned 50 on Tuesday.

Almost immediately after, he left the city to attend a meeting of several loyalists at Burdwan East MP Sunil Kumar Mondal’s residence in Burdwan.

Sources close to him have said he might leave for Delhi on Thursday and meet Modi, Shah and others in the top tier of the BJP leadership. It remains undecided whether Adhikari would join the BJP in Delhi or Bengal.

“One thing is fairly certain, that Dada (Suvendu) would return along with Amit Shah and attend the mega rally in Midnapore on Saturday,” said a source.

He also said Adhikari was likely to resign from Trinamul’s primary membership as well as he was still a general-secretary of the party and part of its seven-member apex steering committee.

Trinamul vice-president Saugata Roy, who acted as an emissary for weeks trying to retain Adhikari, said the former minister had “betrayed” the party. “He has managed an understanding with the BJP. What deal the BJP has offered him, what bargains have taken place between them, I cannot say,” said Dum Dum MP Roy.

“If somebody is unable to be happy even with three key portfolios in the cabinet, if somebody is unhappy with nothing less than deputy chief minister, or the chief ministerial berth itself, then there is nothing to discuss. There is no ideology involved in this. This is nothing but bargaining for posts. The BJP must have assured him of a post he wants. Let him see what the BJP actually gives him,” he added. “Our party will continue to function the way it has.”

Hailing the resignation, Trinamul turncoat Mukul Roy — now a national vice-president of the BJP — said he would welcome him. “This is a big step in the history of Bengal’s mass movements,” said Roy, once known for testy ties with Adhikari while both were in Trinamul.

However, Roy, too, left primarily because he couldn’t accept Mamata’s nephew being elevated while he was the de facto Number Two.

While the Adhikari camp believes he holds sway in over 70 Assembly seats. The BJP believes he can decisively influence the outcome in 40-odd seats.

Mamata, according to sources close to her, does not think that number is over 20.