AAP names 40 candidates for 2027 Punjab polls

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. However, the first list did not include any other Cabinet minister.

AAP is the first major political party that declared its candidates for the polls due early next year. Mann, a first-time MLA and two-time MP, said the early announcement of candidates reflects the party’s strong preparations, transparency and unwavering confidence in the work done by our Government.

Arora is in jail in connection with an alleged Rs 100 crore GST fraud-linked money laundering case involving certain entities linked to him. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, in a social media post, extended his best wishes to all the candidates. Punjab Assembly Speaker and two-time MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan has been fielded from Kotkapura, and the Deputy Speaker will fight from the Garhshankar Assembly segment.