AAP Names First 40 Candidates for 2027 Punjab Polls, Mann to Contest From Dhuri

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday, October 31, 2026, announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann heads the list as the party's candidate from Dhuri. Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan will contest from Kotkapura, and Minister Sanjeev Arora, who is currently in jail, is the party's candidate from Ludhiana West. Mirror Now reported that the list was issued by AAP national secretary Pankaj Kr Gupta.

Ministers and senior names on the list

The first list leans on the party's sitting leadership. Ministers named include Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Ajnala, Balkar Singh from Kartarpur, Jai Krishan Singh Rouri from Garhshankar, Kulwant Singh from S A S Nagar, and Labh Singh Ugoke from Bhadaur. Other candidates in the announcement include Amansher Singh, known as Shery Kalsi, from Batala, Inderbir Singh Nijjar from Amritsar South, Harmeet Singh Sandhu from Tarn Taran, Sarvan Singh Dhun from Khem Karan, Karambir Singh Ghuman from Dasuya, and Jasvir Singh Raja Gill from Urmar, according to the ANI report of the full list.

Four women among the 40

Four of the 40 candidates are women, Hindfirst reported. They are Inderjit Kaur Mann from Nakodar, Dr Amandeep Kaur Arora from Moga, Santosh Kataria from Balachaur, and Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo.

A jailed minister gets a ticket

The Ludhiana West pick is the most striking name on the list. Sanjeev Arora was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in May 2026 in a money laundering case and is currently in jail, according to Hindfirst. ANI also described the minister as currently in jail in its report of the announcement. The party still named him as its candidate for Ludhiana West.

Decided at the Political Affairs Committee

The candidates were finalised at a Political Affairs Committee meeting convened at the residence of AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday. Kejriwal, Mann, Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia, Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, and other committee members attended, ANI reported.

After the announcement, Sisodia congratulated the candidates on X. "Congratulations to all 40 candidates announced by the Aam Aadmi Party for Punjab! This is a responsibility to further strengthen the trust of the people. Go to every home, listen to people's concerns, and put your full strength into advancing Punjab. Bhagwant Mann again, for a prosperous Punjab!" he wrote. Kejriwal posted a shorter message: "Best wishes to all candidates."

The road to the 2027 vote

AAP goes into this election holding the state. In the 2022 Assembly polls, the party won 92 of the state's 117 seats, while the Congress secured 18 seats, ANI reported. The current Punjab Assembly term ends on March 16, 2027. Polling is expected around February or March 2027, and the Election Commission of India has yet to announce the election schedule, according to Hindfirst.

Preparations on the official side are already moving. On Wednesday, a delegation of the Election Commission of India held a district-wise review of poll preparedness for the 2027 Punjab elections, ANI reported. The delegation met all 23 District Election Officers, Commissioners of Police, and Senior Superintendents of Police, and stressed strict compliance with Commission guidelines, transparency in administrative processes, and timely completion of pre-poll work. Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer told the delegation that election tasks would be completed within the set timelines.