Rakesh Soman, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate for the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat, made headlines on Wednesday as he announced his departure from the BSP to join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

His decision to switch parties was formalized in the presence of AAP leader and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Currently, the Hoshiarpur seat is represented by Union Minister Som Parkash. The BJP has nominated his wife, Anita Som Parkash, for the upcoming election, while the Congress has fielded Yamini Gomar. Additionally, AAP has selected Congress defector Raj Kumar Chabbewal as their candidate, and the Shiromani Akali Dal has given a ticket to former minister Sohan Singh Thandal.

After severing ties with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), BSP had previously announced its intention to contest the parliamentary polls in Punjab independently. This decision comes after the BSP and SAD jointly contested the 2022 state Assembly elections.