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Second list: Dropped AAP MLAs express displeasure
Dr Charanjit accuses leadership of betrayal, vows to contest from Chamkaur Sahib; resignations follow Sonia Mann’s nomination in Rajasansi
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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is facing growing internal dissent after dropping seven sitting MLAs, including a cabinet minister and two former ministers, in its second list of 31 candidates for the 2027 Punjab assembly elections released on Thursday. The decision has triggered resentment among several leaders, with some questioning the party leadership’s choices and others threatening to quit.
The dropped legislators include agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian (Lambi), former ministers Anmol Gagan Maan (Kharar) and Laljit Singh Bhullar (Patti), Raman Arora (Jalandhar Central), Dr Charanjit Singh (Chamkaur Sahib), Amit Rattan Kotfatta (Bathinda Rural) and Kulwant Bazigar (Shutrana).
Chamkaur Sahib MLA accuses AAP leadership of betrayal
Among the most vocal critics of the decision is sitting Chamkaur Sahib MLA Dr Charanjit Singh, who accused the party leadership of betraying him despite his association with AAP for more than 12 years.
The party has replaced him with former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Jasvir Singh Garhi, who was recently appointed the party’s halqa in-charge of Chamkaur Sahib.
“I have given more than 12 years to the party. I worked day and night for the people and the organisation. I even sold my house and several properties for the party. I don’t know what shortcomings the leadership found in me that led to this decision,” he said.
The MLA said he had been associated with the constituency and engaged in social service for 36 years. He made it clear that he would contest the 2027 assembly elections from Chamkaur Sahib at any cost, even if he had to switch political allegiance.
However, he ruled out contesting as an Independent, saying he would consult his supporters before deciding which political party to join. Charanjit had defeated then chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi of the Congress by 7,942 votes in the 2022 assembly elections, ending Channi’s decade-long hold over the constituency.
Resignations in Rajasansi over Sonia Mann’s candidature
AAP’s candidate selection has also triggered resentment in Rajasansi, where the nomination of Sonia Mann has prompted the resignation of two prominent party functionaries.
Rajbir Singh Tolanangal, the party’s organisational in-charge for the constituency, quit shortly after the candidate list was announced.
Sukhdeep Singh Chhina, director of the Punjab Dairy Development Board and constituency coordinator of the Nasha Mukti Morcha, also resigned from his position and the party’s primary membership.
Chhina, who claimed to have been associated with AAP for 13 years, said several grassroots workers were unhappy with the local leadership and had become disillusioned.
Khudian says he may be shifted to another segment
Khudian, who has been denied renomination from Lambi, said there were indications that the party might field him from another constituency, although he had received no official communication from the leadership.
Khudian had defeated five-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi in the 2022 elections. The AAP has now fielded his estranged nephew, Randhir Singh Dhira Khuddian, from the constituency.
Despite the setback, Khudian said he would work for his nephew’s electoral success, recalling that the two had worked together for nearly three decades against the Badal family’s political influence.
Kotfatta keeps options open
Another dropped MLA, Amit Rattan Kotfatta, who represents Bathinda Rural segment, said he was consulting supporters before deciding his future political course.
The AAP has replaced him with retired PCS officer Gopal Singh in the reserved constituency.
Kotfatta, who was arrested in a corruption case in February 2023, questioned what he described as inconsistent standards in candidate selection, pointing to the party’s decision to field Sanjeev Arora despite his arrest in a money-laundering case.
He maintained that the allegations against him had not been proved in court and said he would remain politically active in his constituency.
