CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today announced a list of 40 candidates for the Punjab Assembly elections, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann seeking re-election from Dhuri, assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura and jailed former minister Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana (West).
Interestingly names of none of the sitting state cabinet ministers figure in this first list and also the party has not announced new faces from these assembly seats.
Most of the candidates had been finalised at a meeting between CM Mann, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia on Friday. Punjab AAP president Aman Arora and Harpal Cheema joined the meeting through video conference. The PAC approved the names on Saturday.
After the meeting in which the party held detailed discussions on its candidate list, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann who was flanked by Political Affairs Committee (PAC) member and state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, said he had congratulated the candidates and expressed confidence that they would win. He said the party was planning to field new faces in the next list.
"Names of 40 candidates had been finalised based on public surveys and feedback, who received a positive response from the people have been confirmed. I extend my heartiest congratulations to them and hope that they will be elected once again," he said.
Mann said, "The reason why we have announced candidates now is to give them enough time to seek mandate from the voters on the basis of the performance of my government in education, health, irrigation, rural development through revival of village ponds and through the benefits given to women and all domestic power consumers."
He said the party had also decided to give opportunities to new faces, while congratulating those selected as candidates. Explaining why the AAP had decided to announce its candidates ahead of other parties, the Chief Minister took a swipe at the Congress, saying it would continue finalising names until the last moment, while his party was confident about its choices.
Mann represents Dhuri assembly segment as he won the seat in the 2022 assembly elections by defeating Congress candidate Dalvir Singh Khangura by 58,206 votes. Following the AAP’s victory in the state, he took oath as the 17th Chief Minister of the state.
Meanwhile, Kotkapura MLA and Punjab assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said that the party had no competition when it came to performance. "There is no competition for us when it comes to work. A campaign of misinformation is being spread against us," he said.
The 40 names, including that of CM Mann, were announced following a meeting of the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC). Other candidates include, former minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal from Ajnala, Ex-Minister, Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar from Amritsar (South), former minister Bram Shanker Sharma Jimpa from Hoshiarpur, party working president Aman Sher Singh (Shery Kalsi) from Batala, Manwinder Singh Giaspura from Payal , Kulwant Singh from Mohali, Chaudhary Madan Lal Bagga from Ludhiana (North), Ajitpal Singh Kohli from Patiala and Harmeet Singh Sandhu from Tarn Taran.
The list, issued by AAP national secretary Pankaj Kr Gupta, includes candidates from constituencies across the Malwa, Majha and Doaba regions of the state.
The list includes four women candidates — Inderjit Kaur Mann from Nakodar, Dr Amandeep Kaur Arora from Moga, Santosh Kataria from Balachaur and Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo.
Interestingly names of none of the sitting state cabinet ministers figure in this first list. But sources said the names of ministers would figure in subsequent lists.
However, the name of State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema is missing from the first list. Questions had reportedly been raised over his role in connection with the Gulzar suicide case in Toorbanjara village of Sangrur.
Interestingly the name of Sanjeev Arora, a former minister was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 9 this year in an alleged money laundering case involving more than Rs 100 crore in the first list. He is currently lodged in a jail in Gurugram of Haryana.
The party had appointed new constituency in-charges in 19 Assembly segments. Interestingly, seven of these constituencies are represented by sitting AAP MLAs. Despite this, none of the newly appointed constituency in-charges has found a place in the first list of candidates.
The other names are Sarvan Singh Dhun from Khem Karan, Balkar Singh from Kartarpur, Karambir Singh Ghuman from Dasuya, Jasvir Singh Raja Gill from Urmar, Ishank Kumar Chabbewal from Chabbewal and Jai Krishan Singh Rouri from Garhshankar.
While sitting MLA Dinesh Chadha has been named from Ropar, Lakhbir Singh Rai from Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurinder Singh Garry Waring from Amloh, Jagtar Singh Diyalpura from Samrala, Daljit Singh Bhola Grewal from Ludhiana (East), Kulwant Singh Sidhu from Atam Nagar, Ashok Prashar Pappi from Ludhiana (Central), Manjit Singh Bilaspur from Nihal Singh Wala, Amritpal Singh Sukhanand from Bagha Purana, Devinder Jeet Singh Laddi Dhos from Dharamkot, Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy from Jalalabad, Narinderpal Singh Sawna from Fazilka, Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar from Muktsar, Amolak Singh from Jaitu, Gurpreet Singh Banawali from Sardulgarh, Labh Singh Ugoke from Bhadaur, Kulwant Singh Pandori from Mehal Kalan and Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra from Amargarh.
The ruling party has 95 MLAs at present in the state assembly. The assembly elections in Punjab are due in early 2027, with polling expected around February or March. The five-year term of the 117-member Punjab Assembly ends on March 16, 2027.