In a setback to BSP in Punjab, its Hoshiarpur candidate Rakesh Suman has joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the presence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The Hoshiarpur seat is currently represented by Union Minister Som Parkash. Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held on June 1.
The BSP had already announced to go solo in the parliamentary polls. It had snapped three-year-old ties with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in February after there was speculation that the Sukhbir Badal-led outfit might forge an alliance with the BJP.The SAD and the BSP had contested the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls in an alliance.