AAP announces first list of 40 candidates for 2027 Punjab elections

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) held a detailed discussion before finalizing the first 40 candidates. File | Photo credit: PTI

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday (October 31, 2026) released its first list of 40 candidates for the Punjab Assembly elections due early next year, fielding only sitting MLAs. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will seek re-election from Dhuri constituency in Sangrur district.

The term of the 117-member Punjab Assembly ends on 16 March 2027. In the 2022 elections, AAP swept to power with a landslide victory, winning 92 seats.

Among the prominent names in the first list, Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan will contest from Kotkapura, while minister Sanjeev Arora – who is currently in jail in an alleged money laundering case – has been named as the party’s candidate from Ludhiana West.

Others on the list include Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal (Ajnala), Inderbir Singh Nijjar (Amritsar South), Kulwant Singh (SAS Nagar) and Braham Shankar Sharma “Jimpa” (Hoshiarpur).

Aam Aadmi Party has announced the first list of candidates for the 2027 assembly elections. All the best to all the candidates https://t.co/Jcfn6BDnGN

— AAP Punjab (@AAPPunjab) 31 October 2026

Talking to reporters, CM Mann said that the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) discussed the Assembly election tickets in detail. “Candidates who received positive response in public polls were considered. Forty tickets were finalized,” he said.

“New faces will also get a chance,” he added. Explaining the timing, he said the party’s policy is to announce candidates three to four months before elections whenever they are held, so that they can go to the people and hand over the work of government to them.

Published – 31 Oct 2026 13:26 IST