New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday sounded the election bugle in Punjab, releasing its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Assembly elections following a survey.
The names were finalised after deliberations at the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting chaired by AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal here.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will again contest from Dhuri, with the early announcement giving candidates several months to reach out to voters and highlight the work of the AAP government and jailed minister Sanjeev Arora, who is facing money laundering charges, from Ludhiana West.
Kejriwal congratulated all 40 candidates and called upon the party to surpass its 2022 performance in the 2027 elections, stating: “The party has given tickets to these candidates following a survey conducted among the people. I congratulate all 40 candidates and call upon everyone to break even the record set in 2022 in the 2027 elections.”
Following the conclusion of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting, CM Mann also congratulated all the candidates and stated, “The Aam Aadmi Party has released its first list of 40 candidates for the upcoming 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. The early announcement of candidates reflects the party’s strong preparations, transparency and unwavering confidence in the work done by our government.”
“I congratulate all the candidates and call upon party ‘karyakartas' to connect even more strongly with people at the grassroots. Let us continue our journey of progress towards a ‘Rangla Punjab’.”
CM Mann told the media that there was an extensive discussion about the tickets for the Punjab Assembly elections. The party has given tickets to those candidates who received a positive response and were approved by the people in the public survey.
“We hope that all 40 candidates will be elected again. New faces will also get an opportunity. The Aam Aadmi Party itself is still a new party. It is only 12 to 13 years old. The Aam Aadmi Party has no competition from anyone in these elections. We are absolutely certain of our victory, ” he said.
CM Mann emphasised the work undertaken by his government across Punjab, stating, “If anyone visits Punjab, they will be able to see the work our government has carried out. There is not a single village in Punjab where grants have not reached, where roads have not been built, or where work has not been carried out on ponds, whether through the Thapar Model or the Seechewal Model. There is not a single village where someone has not received a job, where an Aam Aadmi Clinic has not opened or where schools have not been upgraded.”
Explaining the decision to announce candidates several months before the elections, the Punjab CM added, “We are releasing the list three to four months before the elections so that candidates have sufficient time to reach out to people and take the work done by the government to them. The Congress remains worried until the last day about possible rebellion or someone contesting as an independent candidate. That is why the Congress does not announce its tickets until the last day. But the Aam Aadmi Party follows a different principle.”