Chandigarh, Nov 12 (PTI) In its second list of 31 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly polls, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday dropped seven MLAs, including the agriculture minister, and fielded its two Lok Sabha MPs.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced the second list of candidates in Delhi after a meeting of the party’s political affairs committee (PAC).
With this, the AAP has announced 71 candidates for the 117-member Punjab Assembly, after having released 40 names on October 31.
The second list includes five women candidates and two sitting MLAs.
Among the current council of ministers, only Chief Minister Mann has been renominated from Dhuri in Sangrur district so far.
The highlight of the second list was replacing Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian from Lambi in Muktsar district by his nephew Randhir Singh Dhira Khuddian, the chairperson of the Punjab State Container and Warehousing Corporation.
In May, Gurmeet Khuddian had a verbal spat with senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia after questioning the choice of candidates for the Bathinda civic body polls.
Khuddian won the Lambi seat in 2022 after defeating five-time Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.
Prominent among AAP who have been denied renomination are Anmol Gagan Maan, Charanjit Singh, Raman Arora and Anmol Rattan Kotfatta.
The AAP has fielded its constituency in-charge Jaskanwar Singh Gill from Patti in Tarn Taran district, a seat represented by jailed former minister and AAP MLA Laljit Singh Bhullar.
On November 10, a Facebook post by Bhullar had said that he will not contest the upcoming Assembly elections.
Bhullar is currently lodged in jail in connection with the suicide of an official of the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation.
The AAP also fielded two MPs – Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Raj Kumar Chabbewal – from Barnala and Phagwara, respectively.
While Hayer is the MP from Sangrur, Chabbewal represents the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat.
The party has named Gopal Singh as its candidate from Bathinda Rural, which is currently represented by Amit Rattan Kotfatta.
In 2023, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested Kotfatta in a bribery case.
In Jalandhar Central, the party nominated industrialist Nitin Kohli, replacing sitting MLA Raman Arora. Kohli joined the AAP in May last year.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested Arora in a corruption case last year.
In Kharar, the AAP has named its constituency in-charge Parminder Singh Goldy, replacing sitting MLA and former minister Anmol Gagan Maan.
Singer-turned-politician Anmol Maan was made a minister during the first Cabinet expansion in July 2022. However, Chief Minister Mann dropped four ministers, including Anmol Maan, from the Cabinet in September 2024.
Anmol Maan had faced public ire on many occasions over road and sewerage issues in her constituency.
Former chairman of the Punjab State Scheduled Caste Commission and constituency in-charge Jasvir Singh Garhi has been fielded from Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district, replacing sitting MLA Charanjit Singh.
Karamjit Singh Rintu will contest the Amritsar North seat, which fell vacant this month after suspended AAP MLA and former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh resigned as a legislator and joined the BJP.
Senior party leader and two-time MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke has been fielded from Jagraon in Ludhiana district, while sitting MLA Amandeep Singh Goldy has been fielded from Balluana in Fazilka district.
Ex-Akali MLA Varinder Kaur Loomba will contest the Shutrana seat in Patiala district currently represented by AAP’s Kulwant Singh Bazigar.
The AAP has fielded Swaran Salaria, who switched sides from the BJP in 2024, from Sujanpur in Pathankot district.
Sonia Mann, a Punjabi actress who joined the AAP in 2025, has been given ticket from Rajasansi in Amritsar district, while Talbir Singh Gill will contest the Majitha seat in the same district.
Among others, Raman Bahl has been fielded from Gurdaspur, Shamsher Singh from Dinanagar, Guriqbal Singh from Qadian, Harjotbanjit Singh from Fatehgarh Churian (all in Gurdaspur district), Harsimran Singh from Bholath (Kapurthala district), Davinderpal Singh from Kapurthala and Harjot Kaur from Phillaur (Jalandhar).
Balvir Singh Jalalpur will contest from Shahkot (Jalandhar), Vaneet Dhir from Jalandhar North, Deepak Bali from Jalandhar Cantt, Pawant Kumar Tinu from Adampur (Jalandhar), Sarabjot Singh Saabi from Mukerian (Hoshiarpur), Robby Kang from Nawanshahr, K N S Kang from Dakha (Ludhiana) and Suhani Doda from Abohar (Fazilka). PTI CHS SUN ARI
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