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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday announced 31 more candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, taking the total number of nominees announced so far to 71, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann saying the selection process was based on survey reports, public feedback and candidates' ground-level work, without any quota system, nepotism or lobbying.
Addressing the media after the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting, Mann said the 31 candidates were finalised following detailed discussions on feedback gathered from the public through various platforms. "Today, in the PAC meeting, thorough discussions and deep deliberations took place regarding candidate tickets for the Punjab Assembly elections," Mann said. He explained that the candidate screening committee had first examined survey reports and public feedback to assess which candidates were favoured by the people. The PAC subsequently approved each name. "Today, 31 seats have been finalised; 31 candidates have been locked in. In total, having announced 40 earlier, we have now finalised 71 candidates," he said. Notably, Punjab has 117 assembly seats. In the last Punjab Legislative Assembly election, held on 20 February 2022 (with results declared on 10 March 2022), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won 92 out of the 117 seats, securing a clear majority (the majority mark is 59 seats). Mann said the list included young candidates, experienced party workers and people whose names had emerged because of their work at the grassroots level. He added that some candidates might learn about their selection only after the list was officially released. "There are young men among them as well, and people whose names came forward for their exemplary ground work. This party seeks out hardworking people on its own," he said. The Chief Minister said AAP's candidate selection process did not depend on a person's financial background, profession or connections within the party. "This very approach sets AAP apart from other parties. Here, there is no quota system, no nepotism or recommendations work, and no lobbying exists. Only your work matters, along with your popularity among the public. It doesn't matter what background someone comes from, whether they are well-off or not," Mann said. Citing the example of a mobile phone repair technician who had previously received a party ticket, Mann said the party did not judge candidates by their professions. "We do not judge a person by their profession; we look at what they do for the people," he said. The party has fielded Harjobanjit Singh Randhawa, also known as Joban Randhawa, from Fatehgarh Churian, Sonia Mann from Raja Sansi, Talbir Singh Gill from Majitha, Karamjit Singh Rintu from Amritsar North and Jaskanwar Singh Gill, also known as Jassa Patti, from Patti. Other candidates include Advocate Harsimran Singh from Bholath, Davinder Pal Singh Ranga from Kapurthala, Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal from Phagwara, Harjot Kaur Lohtia from Phillaur, Balvir Singh Pala Jalalpur from Shahkot, Nitin Kohli from Jalandhar Central, Vaneet Dhir from Jalandhar North, Deepak Bali from Jalandhar Cantt and Pawan Kumar Tinu from Adampur.AAP has nominated Sarabjot Singh Saabi from Mukerian, Robby Kang from Nawan Shahr, Jasvir Singh Garhi from Chamkaur Sahib, Parminder Singh Goldy from Kharar and Dr KNS Kang from Dakha. The remaining candidates are Saravjit Kaur Manuke from Jagraon, Dr Suhani Doda from Abohar, Amandeep Singh 'Goldy' Musafir from Balluana, Randhir Singh Dhira Khuddian from Lambi, Gopal Singh from Bathinda Rural, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Barnala and Vaninder Kaur Loomba from Shutrana. In his remarks, Mann also took a swipe at other political parties, saying AAP wanted to give its candidates sufficient time to reach out to voters, explain the party's policies and achievements, and bring public suggestions and feedback back to the party. "Right from day one, according to the Aam Aadmi Party's style of working, as of today, we will have announced 71 seats. In other words, you could say we are leading 710, because the other parties are still caught up in their own internal feuds, fighting over chairs and power struggles," he said. Mann said the party wanted to ensure that its candidates had maximum time and opportunity to connect with the electorate ahead of the Assembly elections. "We want our candidates to get the maximum time and opportunity to reach out to the public, present the party's policies and achievements, and bring the people's suggestions and feedback back to the party," he said. The Legislative Assembly elections in Punjab are due next year. (ANI)
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