New Delhi: In its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has put its weight behind its tried-and-tested legislators, including Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from Dhuri and jailed minister Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West.
Assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan (Kotkapura) also finds place in the list released Saturday.The first list shows that AAP is absolutely sure about backing these incumbents. Another 77 candidates will be declared in subsequent days.
Mann had told mediapersons Friday that the first list of 40 candidates would be announced soon. He had held a meeting with party chief Arvind Kejriwal and senior leader Manish Sisodia in New Delhi before making the announcement.
ਆਗਾਮੀ 2027 ਦੀਆਂ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿਧਾਨ ਸਭਾ ਚੋਣਾਂ ਲਈ ਆਮ ਆਦਮੀ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਵੱਲੋਂ 40 ਉਮੀਦਵਾਰਾਂ ਦੀ ਪਹਿਲੀ ਸੂਚੀ ਜਾਰੀ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਗਈ ਹੈ…
ਇਹ ਅਗੇਤਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਸਾਡੀ ਮਜ਼ਬੂਤ ਤਿਆਰੀ, ਪਾਰਦਰਸ਼ਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਆਪਣੇ ਕੀਤੇ ਕੰਮਾਂ 'ਤੇ ਸਾਡੇ ਅਟੁੱਟ ਵਿਸ਼ਵਾਸ ਦਾ ਪ੍ਰਤੀਕ ਹੈ… ਮੈਨੂੰ ਮੁੜ ਧੂਰੀ ਹਲਕੇ ਤੋਂ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਮੌਕਾ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਹੈ…
ਸਾਰੇ… pic.twitter.com/9euBQfa9Tt
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) October 31, 2026
Talking to media persons following the announcement of the candidates, Sisodia said the people of Punjab are very happy with the work done over the past five years and want Bhagwant Mann to become the chief minister again.
Four of the candidates have been elected to the assembly in both 2017 and 2022, while 35 are first-time legislators. A former Akali, Harmeet Singh Sandhu who is the sitting AAP candidate from Tarn Taran was elected three times from the seat. He had lost to AAP’s Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal. Following Sohal’s death, Sandhu shifted to AAP and won the by-election in 2025.
The second-term legislators who are in the race again are Jai Krishan Singh Rouri from Garhshankar, Manjit Singh Bilaspur from Nihal Singh Wala, Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura, and Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo. Sandhwan and Rouri are Speaker and Deputy Speaker, respectively.
While Mann’s name is there, no one from the Cabinet has made it to the list. It, however, includes four former ministers: Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Ajnala, Bram Shanker Sharma (Jimpa) from Hoshiarpur, Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar from Amritsar South, and Balkar Singh from Kartarpur.
Arora, who was named again from Ludhiana West, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case in May. He is lodged in a jail in Gurugram.
The Ludhiana-based industrialist was chosen by the AAP to the Rajya Sabha. However, the Ludhiana West seat fell vacant following the death of sitting MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January 2025, Arora was fielded in the following by-election and defeated Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu.
Sisodia explained his name of the list despite his being and accused in the case. “Regarding Sanjeev Arora, the BJP nowadays contests elections by making allegations. Sanjeev Arora was doing excellent work for Punjab, and the BJP arrested him in a fake case because it was apprehensive of the investments and the work he had initiated in the state,” he told PTI.
At Chabbewal, the party has retained Ishank Kumar Chabbewal, son of Hoshiarpur MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal. Raj Kumar had vacated the Assembly seat after winning the 2024 Lok Sabha election, following which his son contested and won the by-election.
There are four women candidates: Inderjit Kaur Mann from Nakodar, Santosh Kataria from Balachaur, Dr Amandeep Kaur Arora from Moga, and Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo. The party has also fielded seven Scheduled Caste candidates.
Saturday’s announcement is also significant because of its timing. The AAP has again followed its established strategy of announcing candidates well ahead of the formal election schedule, giving the candidates clarity and head start over other candidates.
The AAP is the first major political party in Punjab to officially announce a substantial list of candidates for the elections. While there have been indications about potential candidates from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the SAD (Waris Punjab De), neither has made an official announcement.
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The rivals
For the Congress, the delay in candidate selection could prove damaging, given the factionalism and competing claims within the state unit. The party will have to accommodate different camps and manage the aspirations of several leaders, with the possibility of resentment among those who are denied tickets.
Former party state president and MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring claimed that the list of candidates issued by the AAP was “fake”.
“I think this is a list of people who may leave the party and join another party. Why have Aman Arora and Harpal Cheema not been named so far? This raises the question of whether their tickets could be cancelled. I do not think their tickets can be cancelled, but why have their names not appeared in the first list?,” he told ANI.
“Why have only 40 candidates been announced? AAP has a history of changing candidates after announcing their names, and this would not be the first time. I believe this has been done to prevent those suspected of joining other parties from leaving.”
The Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, face their own uncertainties over a possible electoral understanding and the number of seats each could contest. Although sources are hinting at an official announcement in November, the first list of candidates can be expected only by year end.
Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said in it’s first list of candidates, the AAP had shown “complete disregard for the sentiments of the Khalsa Panth.”
“It has given a Vidhan Sabha ticket to Manwinder Singh Giaspura, who was declared ‘tankhaiya’ by Sri Akal Takht Sahib. It is also fielding people like Sanjeev Arora, who is currently in jail after being caught in a major corruption case. Rewarding such people means AAP is preparing for misrule worse than the previous five years,” said Badal.
In its first list of 40 candidates, @AamAadmiParty has shown complete disregard for the sentiments of the Khalsa Panth.
▪️ It has given a Vidhan Sabha ticket to Manwinder Singh Giaspura, who was declared ‘tankhaiya’ by Sri Akal Takht Sahib.
▪️ It is also fielding people like… pic.twitter.com/oLQRx1UcVm
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) October 31, 2026
As for the SAD-WPD, it is caught up in its own controversies. The party’s organisational structure was dissolved Friday. When the drafting committee objected to the dissolution, the party leadership suspended the committee members for indulging in anti-party activities.
Tarsem Singh, father of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, who is currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail, is heading the political group.
Prof Harjeshwar Singh of the Department of History, SGGS College, Sector 26, Chandigarh, told ThePrint that the AAP’s first list was “routine, largely non-controversial and consisting of the loyalists.”
“It is early compared to other parties but this is what AAP wants, they generally go to the battle early and try to create momentum. The other parties will have to respond now,” he added.
The first list, according to Kanwalpreet Kaur of the Department of Political Science, DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh, should not be mistaken for a final endorsement of all sitting legislators.
“With 77 constituencies yet to be covered, the real test will be whether the party continues to back incumbents or opts for replacements in seats where anti-incumbency, local dissatisfaction or electoral calculations make a change necessary,” she told ThePrint.
“For now, the AAP has sent out a clear message: it is backing its existing team and giving its candidates an early start. Whether the remaining lists bring the surprises that the first 40 have largely avoided will determine how far this strategy extends.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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