AAP banks on sitting MLAs in first list, names 40 candidates for 2027 Punjab polls; CM Mann to contest from Dhuri

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, placing its faith entirely in sitting legislators. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will once again contest from Dhuri, while jailed MLA Sanjeev Arora has been renominated from Ludhiana West.

The announcement of candidates, made nearly four months ahead of the polls, signals the ruling party's decision to give its candidates an early start in their respective constituencies. Significantly, all 40 candidates named in the first list are sitting MLAs, with the ruling party opting for continuity rather than experimentation for its first list.

Besides Mann, the prominent candidates include Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar from Amritsar South, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Ajnala, Balkar Singh from Kartarpur and Ajitpal Singh Kohli from Patiala.

In the industrial hub of Ludhiana, AAP has announced candidates for all five Assembly constituencies. Daljit Singh Grewal (Bhola) will contest from Ludhiana East, Kulwant Singh Sidhu from Atam Nagar, Ashok Parashar (Pappi) from Ludhiana Central, Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West and Madan Lal Bagga from Ludhiana North.

The other candidates include Amandeep Kaur Arora from Moga, Jagdeep Kamboj (Goldy) from Jalalabad, Narinderpal Singh from Fazilka, Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar from Muktsar, Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura and Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo.

In Hoshiarpur district, the party has fielded Brahm Shankar Jimpa from Hoshiarpur, Ishank Kumar Chabbewal from Chabbewal, Jai Krishan Singh Rouri from Garhshankar and Karambeer Singh Ghuman from Dasuya. Meanwhile, real estate baron Kulwant Singh has once again secured a ticket from Mohali.

Candidates selected on the basis of people's surveys: Mann

CM Mann said the candidates had been selected after considering people's surveys and feedback on the performance of sitting MLAs. The exercise, he indicated, was aimed at assessing public sentiment and the electoral prospects of the legislators.

The list covers nearly 34% of the Assembly constituencies, and the party is expected to announce its second list of candidates next week.

A senior AAP leader said the decision to announce candidates well ahead of the elections is being seen as an attempt to put rival parties on the back foot while giving its nominees sufficient time to strengthen their grassroots networks.

It also gives the ruling party an opportunity to gauge constituency-level reactions and address any local dissatisfaction before the election campaign gathers momentum, he said.

The party had also taken an early lead in announcing candidates ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections, its first electoral contest in Punjab.

With 77 seats still to be accounted for, the focus will now be on AAP's next list and whether the party continues to stick to its sitting legislators or makes room for new faces.