Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party dropped its first candidate list for the 2027 state Assembly elections on Friday, confirming Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will contest again from Dhuri. The slate includes 40 names, selected during a high-level meeting at the Delhi residence of party chief Arvind Kejriwal. Manish Sisodia, the party’s state in-charge, attended the session alongside other senior leaders.
The most controversial name on the list is Sanjeev Arora, who will fight from Ludhiana West despite being incarcerated. Arora, a former Minister, is currently lodged in Bhondsi jail in Gurugram after the Enforcement Directorate arrested him in May 2025. The ED alleges he was part of a ₹100 crore to ₹157.12 crore money laundering and fake GST billing racket linked to Hampton Sky Realty Limited, where he served as CMD. The charges involve bogus exports and shell companies.
AAP has dismissed the ED case as a "political vendetta" by the BJP-led Centre. By fielding a jailed minister, the party is sending a defiant message to voters just months before the polls. This move contrasts sharply with the usual strategy of avoiding candidates with active criminal or financial charges.
Other notable names include Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, who will contest from Kotkapura. The 117-member Punjab Assembly’s five-year term ends on March 16, 2027, with polling expected between February and March of that year. AAP currently holds 95 seats, giving them a massive majority to defend.
The Election Commission of India has not yet announced the official polling schedule. The party plans to release additional candidate lists in the coming weeks, with the final slate expected to be finalized closer to the nomination deadline.