AAP announces second list of 31 candidates for Punjab Assembly elections

The Aam Aadmi Party released its second list of 31 candidates for the Punjab Assembly elections, with the total number of declared candidates now 71.In the second list issued by AAP national secretary Pankaj Kumar Gupta, Rohit Syal has been fielded from Pathankot, while Raman Bahl has been fielded from Gurdaspur. Karamjit Singh Rintu will contest from Amritsar North, and Nitin Kohli from Jalandhar Central.Vaneet Dhir and Deepak Bali have been fielded from Jalandhar North and Jalandhar Cantt, respectively.

Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer will contest from Barnala, while Gopal Singh will contest from Bathinda Rural. Other candidates include Advocate Harsimran Singh from Bholath, Davinder Pal Singh Ranga from Kapurthala, Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal from Phagwara, Pawan Kumar Tinu from Adampur and Balvir Singh Pala Jalalpur from Shahkot. The party had released its first list of 40 candidates last month.

The Punjab Assembly has 117 seats in total, of which AAP currently has 95.The second list came after the party's political affairs committee (PAC) met and held discussions on ticket distribution, following feedback received through its surveys.In a statement released earlier, AAP said, “Today, there was a discussion on tickets for the Punjab elections in the PAC meeting. The feedback received in the survey reports was deliberated upon throughout the day.”Also Read | Waris Punjab De leader Taalabpura joins AAPAAP fielded 40 sitting MLAs in first list; Mann fielded from DhuriAAP had released its first list on October 31, fielding 40 sitting MLAs, including chief minister Bhagwant Mann from his Dhuri seat.

Jailed MLA Sanjeev Arora was renominated from Ludhiana West, while real estate baron Kulwant Singh once again secured the ticket from Mohali.Other prominent names included Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar from Amritsar South, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Ajnala, Balkar Singh from Kartarpur, and Ajitpal Singh Kohli from Patiala. With more than three months left for the Assembly elections in 2027, AAP has already announced more than half the candidates for the polls.The move signals the ruling party’s attempt to give its candidates an early start in their constituencies.

AAP had similarly taken an early lead in declaring candidates ahead of the 2017 assembly elections too. The 2017 polls had marked AAP's debut electoral contest in Punjab