BJP MP from West Bengal's Jhargram Kunar Hembram on Saturday said he has resigned from his party for "personal reasons".
Hembram, who had in the morning said that he was resigning from the Lok Sabha as well, in the afternoon told PTI that he would continue as an MP.
"For the time being I will continue as MP as my tenure will end in two months. People will face problems if all of a sudden their MP quits," he said.
Hembram, a first-time MP, said he was not joining any other political party.
"I will spend my time writing a book and doing social service," he added.
State BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, "Hembram had informed the party about his decision a few days back." BJP is yet to announce its candidate for the Jhargram seat, located in the state's Jangal Mahal region which the party swept in the 2019 elections.
The TMC claimed that Hembram took the decision sensing that the BJP would lose the seat.
"He knows the BJP is going to lose the seat. So he decided to quit," TMC MP Santanu Sen said.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.