AAP announces first list for Punjab polls, Bhagwant Mann to contest from Dhuri

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will contest from the Dhuri Assembly constituency. The list was finalised following meetings of the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) in New Delhi on Friday and Saturday.

A meeting was held at the residence of AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal to discuss candidate selection. Punjab Election In-charge Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, Jasmine Shah and Bhagwant Mann attended in person, while Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and state party president Aman Arora joined through video conferencing. The party said candidate selection was based on internal surveys, public feedback and ground-level assessments.

Mann said the party would seek votes on the basis of its work over the past five years, including development projects, free electricity and public welfare schemes. He also took a swipe at reports of a possible alliance between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, saying that combining two zeros would still produce zero. He questioned how Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia would share a platform on the issue of making Punjab drug-free.