AAP announces first list of 40 candidates for Punjab elections
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is among the 40 sitting MLAs renominated by the party for the 2027 Assembly polls.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections on Saturday. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will contest from the Dhuri constituency in Sangrur district, according to the announcement made in Delhi following a Political Affairs Committee meeting.
The list includes jailed Cabinet minister Sanjeev Arora, who is in jail regarding an alleged GST fraud-linked money laundering case. Other names include Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura and the Deputy Speaker from the Garhshankar segment. Four sitting women MLAs, Baljinder Kaur, Inderjit Kaur Mann, Santosh Kataria, and Amandeep Kaur Arora, have also been fielded.
Former ministers Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Inderbir Singh Nijjar, and Bram Shanker Jimpa are among the candidates. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal extended his wishes to the candidates on X.
Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon criticised the list, alleging the 40 individuals are responsible for the destruction of Punjab. He claimed the list features leaders facing allegations of corruption, fraud, and money laundering rather than those with integrity.
Dhillon stated the BJP would contest all 117 Assembly seats to restore law and order and address the drug menace. He alleged the AAP government has failed on all fronts and that the state has seen an increase in murders and extortion.
