Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will announce its first list of candidates for the 2027 Punjab assembly elections on Saturday, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Friday after attending a meeting with the party’s national leadership in Delhi.
Mann said the meeting discussed potential candidates and key issues concerning Punjab. The party’s political affairs committee will meet again on Saturday to finalise the names before making the announcement.
The meeting in Delhi focused on candidates for the state’s 117 assembly constituencies and the party’s election strategy. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia participated, while Punjab AAP president Aman Arora and Finance Minister Harpal Cheema joined through video conferencing.
Party sources said that around 15 names had been nearly finalised. If announced as planned, the list would make AAP the first political party in Punjab to declare candidates for the upcoming assembly elections, which are scheduled for February 2027.
Initial discussions reportedly focused on sitting legislators who have won assembly elections twice, with many expected to be considered for a third consecutive term.
With the Election Commission of India reviewing preparations for the polls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls completed, party sources said AAP wanted to announce candidates well in advance. This would give nominees more time to reach voters and build support in their constituencies.
AAP currently has 94 MLAs in the 117-member Punjab assembly.
