In a major pre-electoral move, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday, October 31, 2026, released its initial list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
The early declaration—announced nearly four months ahead of the anticipated election schedule—signals AAP’s strategy to grant its nominees an extended lead time to consolidate grassroots support across Malwa, Majha, and Doaba regions.
Continuity Over Experimentation: 40 Sitting MLAs Named
Opting for structural continuity, all 40 candidates featured in the first batch are incumbent legislators. The announcement was formally approved following a meeting of AAP’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC).
- Key Nominations: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will seek re-election from his constituency of Dhuri. In 2022, Mann secured victory in Dhuri with a margin exceeding 58,000 votes.
- Jailed MLA Renominated: The party has renominated Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West despite his current incarceration.
- Prominent Names: High-profile candidates include Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan (Kotkapura), Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar (Amritsar South), Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal (Ajnala), Balkar Singh (Kartarpur), and Ajitpal Singh Kohli (Patiala).
Strategic Rationale & Ludhiana Coverage
AAP cleared candidate slates for all five Assembly segments within the industrial hub of Ludhiana: Daljit Singh Grewal (Bhola) from Ludhiana East, Kulwant Singh Sidhu from Atam Nagar, Ashok Prashar (Pappi) from Ludhiana Central, Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West, and Madan Lal Bagga from Ludhiana North.
Chief Minister Mann stated that candidate selections were driven by extensive public surveys and constituency-level performance reviews. Party strategists highlighted that early rollouts put opposition parties on the back foot while allowing local leadership to resolve constituency grievances prior to peak campaigning.
With the first announcement covering roughly 34% of the 117-member Assembly, AAP leadership indicated that a second list of candidates will be released next week.
Complete First List of 40 AAP Candidates (2027)
|
# |
Candidate Name |
Constituency |
Region |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Amansher Singh (Shery Kalsi) |
Batala |
Majha |
|
2 |
Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal |
Ajnala |
Majha |
|
3 |
Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar |
Amritsar South |
Majha |
|
4 |
Harmeet Singh Sandhu |
Tarn Taran |
Majha |
|
5 |
Sarvan Singh Dhun |
Khem Karan |
Majha |
|
6 |
Inderjit Kaur Mann |
Nakodar |
Doaba |
|
7 |
Balkar Singh |
Kartarpur |
Doaba |
|
8 |
Karambir Singh Ghuman |
Dasuya |
Doaba |
|
9 |
Jasvir Singh Raja Gill |
Urmar |
Doaba |
|
10 |
Bram Shanker Sharma Jimpa |
Hoshiarpur |
Doaba |
|
11 |
Ishank Kumar Chabbewal |
Chabbewal |
Doaba |
|
12 |
Jai Krishan Singh Rouri |
Garhshankar |
Doaba |
|
13 |
Santosh Kataria |
Balachaur |
Doaba |
|
14 |
Dinesh Chadha |
Rupnagar |
Malwa |
|
15 |
Kulwant Singh |
S.A.S. Nagar (Mohali) |
Malwa |
|
16 |
Lakhbir Singh Rai |
Fatehgarh Sahib |
Malwa |
|
17 |
Jagtar Singh Diyalpura |
Samrala |
Malwa |
|
18 |
Daljit Singh Grewal (Bhola) |
Ludhiana East |
Malwa |
|
19 |
Kulwant Singh Sidhu |
Atam Nagar |
Malwa |
|
20 |
Ashok Prashar (Pappi) |
Ludhiana Central |
Malwa |
|
21 |
Sanjeev Arora |
Ludhiana West |
Malwa |
|
22 |
Chaudhary Madan Lal Bagga |
Ludhiana North |
Malwa |
|
23 |
Manwinder Singh Giaspura |
Payal |
Malwa |
|
24 |
Manjit Singh Bilaspur |
Nihal Singh Wala |
Malwa |
|
25 |
Amritpal Singh Sukhanand |
Bhagha Purana |
Malwa |
|
26 |
Dr. Amandeep Kaur Arora |
Moga |
Malwa |
|
27 |
Devinder Jeet Singh Laddi Dhos |
Dharamkot |
Malwa |
|
28 |
Jagdeep Kamboj (Goldy) |
Jalalabad |
Malwa |
|
29 |
Narinderpal Singh Sawna |
Fazilka |
Malwa |
|
30 |
Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar |
Muktsar |
Malwa |
|
31 |
Kultar Singh Sandhwan |
Kotkapura |
Malwa |
|
32 |
Amolak Singh |
Jaitu |
Malwa |
|
33 |
Baljinder Kaur |
Talwandi Sabo |
Malwa |
|
34 |
Gurpreet Singh Banawali |
Sardulgarh |
Malwa |
|
35 |
Labh Singh Ugoke |
Bhadaur |
Malwa |
|
36 |
Kulwant Singh Pandori |
Mehal Kalan |
Malwa |
|
37 |
Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra |
Amargarh |
Malwa |
|
38 |
Bhagwant Mann |
Dhuri |
Malwa |
|
39 |
Ajitpal Singh Kohli |
Patiala |
Malwa |
|
40 |
Harpal Singh Cheema |
Dirba |
Malwa |
