May 8 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Hoshiarpur Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Rakesh Soman joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the presence of chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday.
The BSP termed the development unfortunate. In a press release, central coordinator and Punjab affairs in-charge Randhir Singh Beniwal said that Soman left the party as his ticket for the June 1 Lok Sabha elections had been withheld due to a technical glitch.
Beniwal alleged that Soman’s vote had been deleted from the voter list as part of a political conspiracy. He claimed that Soman, along with state BSP president Jasvir Singh Garhi and MLA Nachhattar Pal had met the state election commissioner in this regard but the request for re-registration of vote was turned down.
He said the party would soon announce a new candidate for the Hoshiarpur (reserved) seat.
Soman, on the other hand, refuted the vote controversy and said that he had left the BSP due to the state leadership’s “non-cooperation”.
“I was the first candidate to be announced in Punjab but these two months I have been canvassing alone in the constituency. Despite requests, none of the local leaders supported me which compelled me to leave the party,” he said.
Soman said he had joined the AAP as he was impressed with its policies. He said he would work hard for the success of AAP candidate Raj Kumar Chabbewal.
Hoshiarpur is a reserved seat where the BSP holds considerable influence.
In 2019, BSP candidate Khushi Ram had polled 1.28 lakh (12.98%) votes. Party supremo Kanshi Ram had won this seat in 1996 with the support of the Shiromani Akali Dal.