AAP faces fresh setback: Ticket to Sonia Mann triggers dissent as three Rajasansi leaders resign ahead of Punjab Assembly polls
PTC News Desk: Three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders from the Rajasansi Assembly constituency resigned on Friday, a day after the party announced Sonia Mann as its candidate from the seat.
Sukhdeep Singh Chhina, director of the Punjab Dairy Development Board, submitted his resignation from all party posts and primary membership in a letter dated November 12.
Explaining his decision, Chhina said he had been associated with the AAP for the past 13 years. He expressed disappointment over the candidate selection process, alleging that the party had completely ignored the seniority of its long-serving members while distributing tickets.
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Rajbir Singh, former Rajasansi constituency in-charge, also resigned from the party's primary membership. Gurdev Singh Joban Jhanjoti, the AAP's constituency coordinator for its Scheduled Caste (SC) wing, also stepped down.
All three leaders addressed their resignation letters to AAP Punjab president Aman Arora.
The leaders said they had worked for the party for several years, while Sonia Mann was given the ticket despite joining the AAP only a year ago.
Sonia Mann is the daughter of left-wing leader Baldev Singh Mann, who was killed by Khalistani militants in 1986. Her family also belongs to a village in the Rajasansi constituency.
AAP faces resignations ahead of 2027 Punjab Assembly elections
Chhina's resignation comes amid a series of exits from the AAP in Punjab.
Earlier in November, sitting MLAs Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra resigned from the party's primary membership after the AAP announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Assembly elections.
Both leaders had expressed dissatisfaction with developments within the party. They later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with former AAP MLA Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh.
The latest resignations come as the AAP continues announcing its candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. Sonia Mann was named the party's candidate from Rajasansi in its second list, released on November 12.
Chhina's exit has highlighted growing dissatisfaction among some long-time party workers over the candidate selection process, particularly in Rajasansi, where the decision to nominate Mann has reportedly upset sections of the party's old guard.
- PTC NEWS
