The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday, November 12, released its second list of 31 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, taking the total number of declared nominees to 71 across the state’s 117 constituencies.
The list, issued by AAP national secretary Pankaj Kumar Gupta, includes two sitting MPs, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal, who have been fielded from Barnala and Phagwara, respectively.
Other prominent candidates include Rohit Syal from Pathankot, Raman Bahl from Gurdaspur, Karamjit Singh Rintu from Amritsar North, Nitin Kohli from Jalandhar Central, Vaneet Dhir from Jalandhar North and Deepak Bali from Jalandhar Cantt.
Pawan Kumar Tinu has been nominated from Adampur, while Gopal Singh will contest from Bathinda Rural. The list also includes Advocate Harsimran Singh from Bholath, Davinder Pal Singh Ranga from Kapurthala and Balvir Singh Pala Jalalpur from Shahkot.
AAP Replaces Eight Sitting MLAs
The second list marks a shift from the party’s first announcement, in which it retained all 40 sitting MLAs. This time, AAP has replaced eight sitting legislators, including Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian.
Khudian has been replaced in Lambi by his relative Randhir Singh Dhira Khudian. Former minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, who is currently in jail in an abetment to suicide case, has been dropped from Patti, with wrestler Jaskanwar Singh Gill, popularly known as Jassa Patti, named as his replacement.
Other changes include Karamjit Singh Rintu replacing Kunwar Vijay Pratap in Amritsar North, Nitin Kohli replacing Raman Arora in Jalandhar Central and Jasbir Singh Garhi replacing Dr Charanjit Singh in Chamkaur Sahib.
Parminder Singh Goldy has been nominated from Kharar in place of Anmol Gagan Maan, Gopal Singh from Bathinda Rural in place of Amit Rattan, and Varinder Kaur Lumba from Shutrana in place of Kulwant Singh Bazigar.
The list also includes sitting MLAs Saravjit Kaur Manuke from Jagraon and Amandeep Singh Goldy Musafir from Balluana.
Candidates Announced After PAC Meeting
The announcement followed a meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC), which discussed ticket distribution based on feedback received through internal surveys.
In a statement ahead of the announcement, AAP said the committee had spent the day deliberating on survey reports and candidate selection.
The party had released its first list of 40 candidates on October 31. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was nominated from Dhuri, while jailed MLA Sanjeev Arora was renominated from Ludhiana West. Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan was also named as the candidate from Kotkapura.
With 71 candidates announced, AAP has named nominees for more than half of Punjab’s 117 Assembly constituencies. The party currently holds 95 seats in the Assembly, having won 92 seats in the 2022 elections, when it formed the government under Mann.
The 2027 elections will determine whether AAP secures another term in the state.
