The Aam Aadmi Party released its first list of 40 candidates for the Punjab Assembly elections on October 31, naming Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to contest from Dhuri. The list, reported by Scroll.in, covers roughly a third of the state’s 117 assembly seats ahead of polls due by early 2027.
Mann’s own seat was the headline confirmation, but the list also carries the party’s first signal of which sitting ministers and legislators it is standing behind, and which ones it is not naming yet. Punjab’s current assembly term runs until March 16, 2027, and AAP holds 92 of its 117 seats, against 18 for the Congress and 3 for the Shiromani Akali Dal from the 2022 result. A win in the 2027 election would give Mann a second consecutive term as Chief Minister.
Candidate lists ahead of an assembly election are typically released in stages rather than all at once, so this first batch of 40 names leaves 77 seats still to be announced. Parties usually confirm their strongest or least contested seats first and hold back constituencies where internal competition for the ticket is sharper. AAP followed a similar staggered approach heading into the 2022 Punjab election, when it released an initial list of 10 candidates followed by further lists as polling day neared.
Who else is on the list
Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan was renominated from Kotkapura, and four former ministers, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Bram Shanker Sharma, Inderbir Singh Nijjar and Balkar Singh, were renamed to their earlier constituencies, Scroll.in reported. The Speaker presides over the Punjab Vidhan Sabha’s proceedings and is elected by sitting MLAs after each assembly is formed, so Sandhwan’s renomination signals the party wants him back in the House rather than any change at that post.
The list names four women candidates: Amandeep Kaur Arora, head of AAP’s women’s wing in Punjab, from Moga; Inderjit Kaur Mann from Nakodar; Santosh Kataria from Balachaur; and Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo. Seven of the 40 candidates belong to Scheduled Caste communities, according to The Indian Express, cited by Scroll.in. Party unit president Aman Arora does not feature in this first list.
Punjab has one of the largest Scheduled Caste populations of any Indian state by share of total population, and the community’s vote is widely tracked by every major party in the state. A number of the state’s 117 assembly seats are formally reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates under India’s constitutional reservation framework, in addition to seats like these where parties choose to field Scheduled Caste candidates on general seats.
Why the Sanjeev Arora renomination stands out
State Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora was renominated from Ludhiana West even though he is currently in jail in connection with an alleged money laundering case, the Indian Express reported via Scroll.in. AAP has not publicly explained the decision beyond Mann’s general comment, reported by the same outlet, that candidate selection was based on performance and public surveys.
Renominating a sitting minister while legal proceedings against him are ongoing is the kind of decision rival parties in Punjab, including the Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party, are likely to raise as campaigning picks up. The available reporting does not record a response yet from any of the three.
The regional split, by the numbers
Punjab’s 117 seats are split across three regions: Malwa (69 seats), Majha (25) and Doaba (23). The first AAP list fields candidates for a little under half of Malwa’s seats and a smaller share of the other two regions, leaving most seats for later lists.
| Region | Total assembly seats | Candidates named in this list |
|---|---|---|
| Malwa | 69 | 27 |
| Doaba | 23 | 8 |
| Majha | 25 | 5 |
What happens next
AAP has not said when it will release further lists covering the remaining 77 seats. The Election Commission has not yet announced a formal poll schedule; the current assembly’s term ends March 16, 2027, which sets the outer limit for when voting must take place.
Watch for rival parties’ own first lists, and for whether AAP names a candidate for Aman Arora’s seat or addresses the Sanjeev Arora renomination directly as the campaign develops.
Frequently asked questions
How many of Punjab’s 117 seats has AAP named candidates for so far?
40, in this first list. The remaining 77 seats are expected to be announced in later lists.
Who is AAP fielding from Dhuri?
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who is seeking a second consecutive term as Punjab’s Chief Minister.
When must the next Punjab Assembly election be held?
The current assembly’s five-year term ends March 16, 2027, which sets the deadline by which a new assembly must be in place.
Leave a Reply