Hyderabad: The saffron hunt for pink scalps has begun. Shattering the confidence exuded by Chief Minister and TRS chief K. Chandrashekar Rao to his nervous senior party leaders a few days ago, the first of the MLAs from the ruling party has decided to quit and join the rising tide of BJP in Telangana.

The big jolt was delivered on Thursday when Bodhan MLA, Shakil Aamir Mohammed, and the sole Muslim legislator of the TRS, decided to quit the party and to join BJP. Even as the TRS leadership’s efforts to cajole dissidents to not quit after the Cabinet expansion was on, MLA Shakil met Dharmapuri Arvind, BJP’s Nizamabad MP, at his residence on Thursday at Hyderabad. Shakil said that he was ready to resign as an MLA to join the BJP.

Shakil is the only Muslim MLA elected from the TRS in last year’s preponed Assembly elections. Once Shakil formally joins the BJP, he would become the first TRS MLA to quit and jump ship.

After meeting with Mr Arvind, speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Shakil said, “I am the only Muslim MLA elected from the TRS. TRS candidate K. Kavitha got a majority of votes in Bodhan against a strong BJP in the last Lok Sabha elections due to my hard work. But the TRS leadership did not recognize my services. The pink party had promised 12 per cent reservations for Muslims, but it was not fulfilled. Some vested interests misled Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao, because of which I did not get a minister’s post.”

“When the TRS leadership is not doing justice to me, what should I tell my people,” he asked, adding that he would announce his decision in a day or two.

Shakil further said that in the TRS, MLAs have no value and no recognition for hard work, and alleged that the leadership did not give me a position in the Cabinet under pressure from the MIM.

“In such circumstances, I cannot remain or adjust in the TRS,” he said, adding, I might have become an MLA because of KCR’s mercy, but I am ready to resign from my position.

Meanwhile, Dharmapuri Arvind, tweeted: ‘Bodhan MLA Shakil (TRS) paid a visit to me at my residence today. We had a wide range of discussions on current political scenario in the State and Nizamabad district’.

Sources said that both have also discussed about other TRS MLAs who are unhappy with their leadership and were ready to leave the party.