States » NorthPosted at: Nov 12 2026 7:25PM


AAP drops eight sitting MLAs, fields two MPs as 25 new faces enter Punjab poll race

Neeraj Bali Chandigarh, Nov 12 - Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday dropped eight sitting legislators, including Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, and fielded two sitting members of Parliament in its second list of 31 candidates for the 2027 assembly elections, bringing in 25 new faces in a major reshuffle of its electoral line-up.
The announcement takes the number of candidates declared by AAP to 71 for the 117-member assembly, leaving 46 constituencies where nominations are yet to be finalised.
Of the 31 candidates in the second list, 25 are new nominees compared with the previous election, while six have been given another opportunity. The list includes five women and has 10 candidates from Majha, 11 from Doaba and 10 from Malwa.
Sangrur MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer has been nominated from Barnala, while Hoshiarpur MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal will contest from Phagwara, signalling the party's decision to bring two of its parliamentary representatives into the state assembly contest.
The most prominent exclusion is Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, who defeated five-time former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi in the 2022 assembly elections.
AAP has replaced him with his nephew Randhir Singh Dhira Khudian, denying renomination to a minister whose victory over the veteran Shiromani Akali Dal leader was among the party's notable electoral successes in 2022.
Former minister Anmol Gagan Mann has also been denied a ticket from Kharar, where the party has nominated Parminder Singh Goldy. She had previously indicated that she did not intend to contest another assembly election.
Another former minister, Laljit Singh Bhullar, has been replaced by Jaskanwar Singh Gill, popularly known as Jassa Patti, from Patti. Bhullar, who is in jail, had earlier said he did not wish to contest the elections from prison.
The party has also dropped Dr Charanjit Singh from Chamkaur Sahib, where he defeated former Congress Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in the 2022 elections. Jasvir Singh Garhi has been nominated in his place.
Other sitting legislators denied renomination include Raman Arora from Jalandhar Central, Amit Rattan from Bathinda Rural and Kulwant Singh Bazigar from Shutrana.
AAP has nominated Nitin Kohli from Jalandhar Central, Gopal Singh from Bathinda Rural and Vaninder Kaur Loomba from Shutrana.
Of the 10 constituencies won by AAP in 2022 that feature in the second list, only two sitting legislators have been retained. Saravjit Kaur Manuke from Jagraon and Amandeep Singh Goldy Musafir from Balluana.
The changes contrast with the party's first list of 40 candidates, released on October 31, in which all the sitting legislators covered by the announcement were renominated.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had earlier said candidate selection would depend on public feedback and assessments of legislators' performance.
"The choice will be based on (public) surveys on whether people appreciate the work done by the sitting party MLAs," Mann said on October 30 while outlining the party's candidate selection criteria.
The second list includes five women candidates. Sonia Mann from Raja Sansi, Harjot Kaur Lohtia from Phillaur, Saravjit Kaur Manuke from Jagraon, Suhani Doda from Abohar and Vaninder Kaur Loomba from Shutrana.
With four women nominated in the first list, AAP has so far fielded nine women among its 71 declared candidates, including five sitting legislators.
The two lists also show limited representation of serving ministers. Apart from Chief Minister Mann, Sanjeev Arora, nominated from Ludhiana West, is the only serving cabinet minister among the 71 candidates announced so far.
Several constituency-level party in-charges have secured nominations, including Jasvir Singh Garhi from Chamkaur Sahib, Parminder Singh Goldy from Kharar, Nitin Kohli from Jalandhar Central, Vaneet Dhir from Jalandhar North and Deepak Bali from Jalandhar Cantonment.
Other nominees include Pawan Kumar Tinu from Adampur, Balvir Singh Pala Jalalpur from Shahkot, Sarabjot Singh Sabi from Mukerian and Robby Kang from Nawanshahr.
In Amritsar North, AAP has fielded former mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu, while Talbir Singh Gill will contest from Majitha and Swaran Singh Salaria from Sujanpur.
The first list included Mann from Dhuri, Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura, Deputy Speaker Jai Krishan Singh Rouri from Garhshankar, and several former ministers.
AAP won 92 of Punjab's 117 assembly seats in 2022, defeating the Congress government and securing its first full term in the state.
The latest announcement also comes after former AAP legislators Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
With 71 candidates announced across two lists, the party has now declared nominees for more than 60% of Punjab's assembly constituencies, seven months before the state is due to go to the polls. UNI NB
Tags: #AAP drops eight sitting MLAs# fields two MPs as 25 new faces enter Punjab poll race
More News

Stubble burning: 54 FIRs in Haryana's Karnal, Kaithal; 45 officials served notices

13 Nov 2026 | 12:15 AM

Panchkula, Nov 12 (UNI) Haryana authorities have registered 54 FIRs over stubble burning in Karnal and Kaithal districts, imposed financial penalties and initiated action against farmers on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora portal, while 45 officials have been served notices over lapses linked to crop residue burning incidents.
The action comes as the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) warned of a rise in farm fires around Diwali and directed authorities in four Haryana districts to intensify surveillance over the next seven days.

see more..

Rajasthan's model of 'good governance' to figure in deliberations at IIAS-IISA Seoul conference

13 Nov 2026 | 12:12 AM

Jaipur, Nov 12 (UNI) Rajasthan's model of good governance would be discussed at the global forum of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS-IISA)) in Seoul, South Korea later this month.

see more..

Punjab, Haryana swing from surplus monsoon to severe rainfall deficit; 29 districts affected: IMD

12 Nov 2026 | 11:45 PM

Kamlesh Kali
Panchkula, Nov 12 (UNI) Punjab and Haryana witnessed a sharp reversal in monsoon rainfall in 2026, with both states slipping from substantial rainfall surpluses last year to deficits of 38 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively, while 29 of their 44 districts recorded deficient or largely deficient rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

see more..

Haryana targets 70 pc conversion of investment MoUs into projects

12 Nov 2026 | 11:43 PM

Chandigarh, Nov 12 (UNI) The Haryana government has set a target of converting at least 70 per cent of investment agreements signed under its new industrial policy into operational projects, with work already initiated on proposals involving more than Rs 1.05 lakh crore, Industries and Commerce Minister Rao Narbir Singh said on Thursday. .

see more..

J&K CM expresses grief over killing of two SPOs in Kishtwar

12 Nov 2026 | 11:35 PM

Jammu, Nov 12 (UNI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed profound grief and anguish over the tragic killing of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) in Kishtwar district.

see more..