AAP’s second Punjab candidate list likely today; ministers, sitting MLAs in race
PTC Web Desk: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) may name its second set of candidates for the Punjab Assembly election today (Thursday). The party’s top leaders are sitting down in Delhi this evening to finalise the names.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has already left for Delhi for the Political Affairs Committee meeting, which will be presided over by party convener Arvind Kejriwal. The committee is expected to go through the names for several constituencies as AAP speeds up its election preparations.
The new list could carry the names of some Cabinet ministers, sitting MLAs and halqa in-charges, the leaders who run the party’s work in each constituency. Before locking in the names, the party is likely to look closely at who has the best chance of winning and how it wants to shape its overall strategy.
AAP had released its first list of 40 candidates on October 31. It included a number of sitting MLAs and senior leaders. Bhagwant Mann was named from Dhuri and Speaker Kultar Sandhwan was fielded from Kotkapura. The party also gave tickets again to several legislators who had won their seats in the last two Assembly elections.
The list, though, was followed by some trouble within the party. Three MLAs left AAP soon after it came out. Harmeet Pathanmajra, who represented Sanaur and Chetan Jouramajra, the Samana MLA, resigned from the party and later joined the BJP. Former AAP MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh also joined the BJP. With these exits, the Samana, Sanaur and Amritsar North seats are now vacant.
The second list should give a better idea of how AAP is picking its candidates, especially in seats where ministers, sitting MLAs and local-level leaders are all being considered.
Notably on October 31, AAP named its first 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. The party has gone with experience: every name on the list is a sitting MLA, so there are no fresh faces in this round.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will contest again from Dhuri. He had earlier said the list was final and congratulated all 40 candidates. AAP is the first party in the state to announce nominees, with the election expected in February 2027.
In the Majha region, the party has fielded Amansher Singh (Sherry Kalsi) from Batala, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Ajnala, Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar from Amritsar South, Harmeet Singh Sandhu from Tarn Taran and Sarvan Singh Dhun from Khem Karan.
In the Doaba belt, the nominees are Inderjit Kaur Mann (Nakodar), Balkar Singh (Kartarpur), Karambir Singh Ghuman (Dasuya), Jasvir Singh Raja Gill (Urmar), Bram Shanker Sharma Jimpa (Hoshiarpur), Ishank Kumar Chabbewal (Chabbewal), Jai Krishan Singh Rouri (Garhshankar) and Santosh Kataria (Balachaur).
Around Rupnagar, Mohali and Fatehgarh Sahib, the party has named Dinesh Chadha (Rupnagar), Kulwant Singh (SAS Nagar), Lakhbir Singh Rai (Fatehgarh Sahib), Gurinder Singh Garry Waring (Amloh) and Jagtar Singh Diyalpura (Samrala).
Ludhiana district gets seven candidates: Daljit Singh Grewal Bhola (Ludhiana East), Ashok Prashar Pappi (Ludhiana Central), Sanjeev Arora (Ludhiana West), Chaudhary Madan Lal Bagga (Ludhiana North), Kulwant Singh Sidhu (Atam Nagar), Manwinder Singh Giaspura (Payal) and Jagtar Singh Diyalpura’s neighbouring seat of Samrala, named above.
In the Malwa belt, the list includes Manjit Singh Bilaspur (Nihal Singh Wala), Amritpal Singh Sukhanand (Bhagha Purana), Dr Amandeep Kaur Arora (Moga), Devinder Jeet Singh Laddi Dhos (Dharamkot), Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy (Jalalabad), Narinderpal Singh Sawna (Fazilka), Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar (Muktsar), Kultar Singh Sandhwan (Kotkapura), Amolak Singh (Jaitu), Baljinder Kaur (Talwandi Sabo), Gurpreet Singh Banawali (Sardulgarh), Labh Singh Ugoke (Bhadaur), Kulwant Singh Pandori (Mehal Kalan), Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra (Amargarh), Bhagwant Mann (Dhuri) and Ajitpal Singh Kohli (Patiala).
Four of the 40 are women: Inderjit Kaur Mann, Santosh Kataria, Dr Amandeep Kaur Arora and Baljinder Kaur.
Also Read | Punjab Assembly elections 2027: AAP releases first list of 40 candidates; Bhagwant Mann to contest from Dhuri
- PTC NEWS
