Punjab AAP In Turmoil: Two MLAs Quit After Party Announces First List For 2027 Polls

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab is facing internal dissent after two sitting legislators, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Chetan Singh Jouramajra, resigned from the party a day after it announced its first list of candidates for the 2027 Assembly elections. Pathanmajra represents Sanaur, while Jouramajra is the MLA from Samana in Patiala district.

Both leaders confirmed their resignations from the party’s primary membership on Sunday, November 1. Neither featured in the party’s first list of 40 candidates, fuelling speculation that they were unlikely to be renominated for the upcoming polls.

AAP MLAs Confirm Resignations After Missing Out On First List

Jouramajra, a former Punjab Cabinet minister, confirmed his resignation to The Indian Express, saying he no longer felt connected to the party. “I have resigned. I don't have my heart into the party. Situation of Punjab is heartbreaking. We will talk later,” he said. Pathanmajra also confirmed his decision, telling the newspaper: “I have resigned. Rest I will tell later.” Neither leader has publicly given a detailed explanation for leaving the party.

The resignations came after AAP announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections on Saturday, October 31. The list included Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from Dhuri, Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura and minister Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West. The party has so far announced candidates for 40 constituencies, with further lists expected ahead of the elections. The omission of Pathanmajra and Jouramajra has added to speculation about the party's plans for their constituencies.

The party had also appointed new constituency in-charges in Sanaur and Samana, a move that had raised questions about whether the two sitting MLAs would receive tickets again. According to The Tribune, both legislators were among those whose renomination appeared uncertain. Their departures mark an early challenge for the party as it begins preparing for the Assembly elections, with its candidate-selection process already triggering discontent among some legislators.

Earlier Differences With AAP Leadership Add To Political Fallout

Pathanmajra had emerged as a vocal critic of the AAP leadership, particularly over the state government's handling of floods and issues concerning his constituency. His differences with the party leadership became more public in 2025, when he questioned the government's response to flooding and raised concerns about administrative decisions. He was also arrested in connection with a rape case and later released on bail, according to media reports. Pathanmajra has described the legal action against him as political harassment, an allegation that has not been established in court.

Jouramajra, meanwhile, served as a minister in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's Cabinet before being removed from the post following a controversy involving Dr Raj Bahadur, the former vice-chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences. The controversy arose after Raj Bahadur was made to lie on a dirty mattress during an inspection of a government hospital in 2022. The incident drew criticism and became a source of political embarrassment for the state government.

The twin resignations come as AAP attempts to build an early campaign around its first candidate announcements. While the party has not publicly detailed its response to the exits, the departures highlight the challenges it faces in managing ticket expectations and internal differences ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.