Chandigarh, October 31: Is the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) playing an early political masterstroke ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections? The ruling party has announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 117-member Punjab Assembly, taking the first major step towards the next electoral battle months before the formal election schedule.
The announcement is significant not just because of the number of candidates but also because of the political choices made by the party. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been fielded again from Dhuri, Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura and Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West.
With this announcement, AAP has put its first 40 candidates in the electoral field, leaving 77 constituencies for subsequent announcements. The move gives the nominated candidates considerable time to strengthen their constituency-level presence, connect with voters, mobilise party workers and prepare their local election strategies.
The party’s announcement also puts the spotlight on Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal, which will have to decide their own candidate-selection strategies as preparations for the 2027 elections gather pace.
Why the first list is politically significant
1. Bhagwant Mann’s candidature from Dhuri
The Chief Minister will again contest from Dhuri, maintaining his existing electoral constituency. His candidature also reinforces his position as the central face of AAP’s Punjab election campaign.
2. Sanjeev Arora’s nomination creates the biggest talking point
The nomination of Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West is one of the most closely watched decisions in the list. Arora is currently in judicial custody following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case. Despite the legal proceedings, AAP has retained him as its candidate for the constituency. The decision is likely to become an important subject of political debate.
3. Kultar Singh Sandhwan gets another opportunity
Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has been nominated from Kotkapura. His inclusion reflects the party’s decision to retain an established legislative face.
4. Ludhiana becomes an important electoral centre
AAP has announced candidates for five Ludhiana constituencies: East, West, Central, North and Atam Nagar. The selection of Sanjeev Arora, Daljit Singh Grewal Bhola, Ashok Prashar Pappi, Chaudhary Madan Lal Bagga and Kulwant Singh Sidhu makes Ludhiana an important focus of the first list.
5. Doaba gets representation in the first announcement
The party has announced candidates for eight constituencies in Doaba, along with Rupnagar, which is often included in the wider Doaba electoral belt. Jalandhar district gets two candidates, from Nakodar and Kartarpur.
Regional strategy: Malwa, Majha and Doaba
The first list covers constituencies across all three major political regions of Punjab.
Majha: Amansher Singh (Shery Kalsi) from Batala, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Ajnala, Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar from Amritsar South, Harmeet Singh Sandhu from Tarn Taran and Sarvan Singh Dhun from Khem Karan.
Doaba and adjoining Rupnagar belt: Inderjit Kaur Mann from Nakodar, Balkar Singh from Kartarpur, Karambir Singh Ghuman from Dasuya, Jasvir Singh Raja Gill from Urmar, Bram Shanker Sharma Jimpa from Hoshiarpur, Ishank Kumar Chabbewal from Chabbewal, Jai Krishan Singh Rouri from Garhshankar, Santosh Kataria from Balachaur and Dinesh Chadha from Rupnagar.
Ludhiana and adjoining constituencies: Daljit Singh Grewal Bhola from Ludhiana East, Kulwant Singh Sidhu from Atam Nagar, Ashok Prashar Pappi from Ludhiana Central, Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West, Chaudhary Madan Lal Bagga from Ludhiana North, Manwinder Singh Giaspura from Payal and Jagtar Singh Diyalpura from Samrala.
Malwa: The list also includes candidates from Nihal Singh Wala, Bhagha Purana, Moga, Dharamkot, Jalalabad, Fazilka, Muktsar, Kotkapura, Jaitu, Talwandi Sabo, Sardulgarh, Bhadaur, Mehal Kalan, Amargarh, Dhuri and Patiala.
Four women candidates in the first list
AAP has also included four women candidates:
* Inderjit Kaur Mann – Nakodar
* Santosh Kataria – Balachaur
* Dr Amandeep Kaur Arora – Moga
* Baljinder Kaur – Talwandi Sabo
Their inclusion gives women representation in the party’s first round of candidate announcements.
Complete list of 40 AAP candidates
No. Constituency Candidate
1 Batala Amansher Singh (Shery Kalsi)
2 Ajnala Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal
3 Amritsar South Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar
4 Tarn Taran Harmeet Singh Sandhu
5 Khem Karan Sarvan Singh Dhun
6 Nakodar Inderjit Kaur Mann
7 Kartarpur Balkar Singh
8 Dasuya Karambir Singh Ghuman
9 Urmar Jasvir Singh Raja Gill
10 Hoshiarpur Bram Shanker Sharma Jimpa
11 Chabbewal Ishank Kumar Chabbewal
12 Garhshankar Jai Krishan Singh Rouri
13 Balachaur Santosh Kataria
14 Rupnagar Dinesh Chadha
15 S.A.S. Nagar Kulwant Singh
16 Fatehgarh Sahib Lakhbir Singh Rai
17 Amloh Gurinder Singh Garry Waring
18 Samrala Jagtar Singh Diyalpura
19 Ludhiana East Daljit Singh Grewal Bhola
20 Atam Nagar Kulwant Singh Sidhu
21 Ludhiana Central Ashok Prashar Pappi
22 Ludhiana West Sanjeev Arora
23 Ludhiana North Chaudhary Madan Lal Bagga
24 Payal Manwinder Singh Giaspura
25 Nihal Singh Wala Manjit Singh Bilaspur
26 Bhagha Purana Amritpal Singh Sukhanand
27 Moga Dr Amandeep Kaur Arora
28 Dharamkot Devinder Jeet Singh Laddi Dhos
29 Jalalabad Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy
30 Fazilka Narinderpal Singh Sawna
31 Muktsar Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar
32 Kotkapura Kultar Singh Sandhwan
33 Jaitu Amolak Singh
34 Talwandi Sabo Baljinder Kaur
35 Sardulgarh Gurpreet Singh Banawali
36 Bhadaur Labh Singh Ugoke
37 Mehal Kalan Kulwant Singh Pandori
38 Amargarh Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra
39 Dhuri Bhagwant Mann
40 Patiala Ajitpal Singh Kohli
40 announced, 77 seats still to be decided
Punjab has 117 Assembly constituencies. With 40 candidates announced, AAP has covered approximately 34 per cent of the total seats in its first list.
The remaining 77 constituencies will be important in understanding the party’s broader electoral strategy, particularly its approach towards sitting MLAs, constituency in-charges and new political faces.
Early announcement: Advantage or additional pressure?
The early announcement gives AAP candidates more time to prepare, but it also brings challenges.
Candidates will have to maintain coordination with local workers, address possible dissatisfaction among ticket aspirants and establish their credibility among voters. The party leadership will also have to ensure that early declarations do not create internal divisions.
For Congress, BJP and SAD, the announcement brings their own candidate-selection strategies into focus. Whether they follow a similar early-declaration approach or wait until closer to the election schedule remains to be seen.
The bigger question: Is this AAP’s masterstroke?
The first list sends three clear signals: AAP is beginning its election preparations early, it is relying heavily on established political faces, and it wants its candidates to have sufficient time to build their constituency-level campaigns.
The nomination of Sanjeev Arora, the continuation of Bhagwant Mann from Dhuri and the concentration of five candidates in Ludhiana make this announcement particularly significant.
However, the real test will be the response of voters, the performance of individual candidates and the party’s ability to manage local political equations.
AAP has announced its first 40 faces for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. Whether this early move becomes a political masterstroke or creates fresh challenges will become clearer as the remaining candidates are announced and the election campaign gathers momentum.