AAP’s first Punjab poll list out, Bhagwant Mann to contest from Dhuri; jailed MLA also gets ticket
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday released its first list of candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, naming Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from Dhuri and jailed minister Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West. The party has announced 40 candidates in its first list, giving another chance to several sitting legislators.
Punjab Assembly elections are expected to take place in February-March 2027, although the Election Commission has not announced the polling schedule yet. The announcement comes months ahead of the elections with the ruling party beginning its preparations for another electoral contest.
The list was finalised during a high-level meeting held at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in Delhi on Friday. The meeting was attended by Kejriwal, Mann, Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia and other senior party leaders.
Mann also welcomed the announcement and said the early declaration of candidates reflected the party’s confidence in its work.
“Announcement is a symbol of our strong preparation, transparency, and unwavering confidence in the work we have done,” he wrote in a post on X.
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 ਐਲਾਨੇ ਗਏ ਉਮੀਦਵਾਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਮੁਬਾਰਕਾਂ… ਆਓ, ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਜ਼ਮੀਨੀ ਪੱਧਰ ‘ਤੇ ਹੋਰ ਮਜ਼ਬੂਤੀ ਨਾਲ ਜੁੜੀਏ ਅਤੇ ‘ਰੰਗਲੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ’ ਦੀ ਤਰੱਕੀ ਦੇ ਸਫ਼ਰ ਨੂੰ ਲਗਾਤਾਰ ਜਾਰੀ ਰੱਖੀਏ…— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) October 31, 2026
Why AAP picked Dhuri for Bhagwant Mann
Dhuri has been a strong constituency for the AAP. In the 2022 Assembly elections, Mann won the seat by a margin of around 58,000 votes, defeating Congress candidate Dalvir Singh Goldy.
The party also performed well in the recent civic body elections, winning 20 of the 21 wards in the Dhuri Assembly constituency, according to India Today. Mann’s candidature from the seat signals that the party is backing him to retain the constituency in the upcoming polls.
The first list also includes 37 sitting MLAs who have been retained by the party. Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has been fielded from Kotkapura.
Jailed Minister Sanjeev Arora also gets AAP ticket
One of the notable names in the first list is Sanjeev Arora, who has been nominated from Ludhiana West despite being in judicial custody. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Arora in May this year in connection with an alleged money laundering case. He is currently lodged in Bhondsi jail in Gurugram.
The case is linked to alleged financial irregularities involving Hampton Sky Realty Limited, where Arora previously served as chairman and managing director. The AAP has dismissed the allegations against him as political vendetta by the BJP-led Centre.
The Punjab Assembly has 117 seats and the term of the current House is scheduled to end on March 16, 2027. The AAP currently has 95 MLAs in the Assembly and will be looking to retain power in the state.