Punjab: BSP nominee from Hoshiarpur seat joins AAP

Chandigarh, May 8 (PTI) In a setback to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), its candidate from Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat in Punjab Rakesh Soman on Wednesday joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann welcomed Soman into the party fold.

Soman said that he was impressed by the policies of the Mann government.

“Today I am joining the AAP. I am impressed by the works like providing good education and health facilities to the poor done by the Mann government,” he said.

Mann said that his government has been working for the welfare of people.

“In the last two years, we have built 829 ‘aam aadmi clinics’ for the treatment of common people and we are building Schools of Eminence for the education of poor children,” Mann said.

“We made 300 units of electricity free every month for the people of Punjab. Today, about 90 per cent of the households in the state are getting zero electricity bills,” he added in a statement.

Polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will be held on June 1.