Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said AAP will announce its first list of candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections on October 31.
Separately, an Election Commission of India delegation reviewed poll preparations across Punjab’s 23 districts.
Punjab BJP leader Hardev Singh Ubha raised concerns over drug abuse.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is set to release its first list of candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections on Saturday, October 31, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said after a meeting of the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) on Friday. The meeting, held at party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, focused on candidate selection and preparations for the upcoming polls.
The high-level meeting was attended by Kejriwal, Mann, AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia, party leader Satyendar Jain and Jasmine Shah. Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema and state AAP president Aman Arora joined the deliberations through video conferencing.
“The names of assembly candidates were discussed today,” Mann said after the meeting, adding that the PAC would meet again on October 31 to continue discussions before the first list is announced.
The move marks an important step in AAP’s preparations for the Punjab Assembly elections, scheduled for 2027, as political parties begin to firm up their electoral strategies.
Election Commission Reviews Punjab Poll Preparedness
Separately, a delegation from the Election Commission of India (ECI) conducted a district-wise review of preparations for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections on Wednesday.
The delegation comprised Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Pawan Kumar Sharma, Deputy Election Commissioner Bhanu Prakash Yeturu, Director General (IT) Seema Khanna and Director General (Media) Ashish Goyal.
During the review, the officials interacted with all 23 District Election Officers, Commissioners of Police and Senior Superintendents of Police. Officials from the districts presented details of election preparedness and the status of pre-poll activities.
The ECI delegation stressed strict compliance with its guidelines, transparency in administrative processes, timely completion of election-related tasks and robust enforcement measures across the state.
Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer assured the delegation that all election-related work would be completed within the stipulated timelines and in accordance with the Commission’s instructions to ensure free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections.
Punjab BJP Leader Raises Drug Abuse, Mohali Civic Issues
Meanwhile, senior Punjab BJP leader Hardev Singh Ubha met Harjit Singh Grewal, chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, at the Commission’s office in New Delhi to raise several public issues concerning Punjab and Mohali.
Among the concerns raised were drug abuse and the alleged drug-related death of Daljit Singh, also known as Jeeta, a resident of Bhamme Kalan village in Mansa district. Ubha said Daljit was the son of Jarnail Singh and highlighted the circumstances surrounding his death, which was allegedly caused by a drug overdose.
Ubha also drew attention to recurring fires at the Phase 5 dumping ground in Mohali, the lack of canal water supply in several residential areas and villages, and demands for fair compensation for farmers affected by land acquisition in Sector 87.
He further raised the prolonged delay in constructing a bridge connecting Sectors 66 and 67 with Sectors 80 and 81, requesting intervention by the relevant authorities to resolve the issues.
The meeting comes as political parties in Punjab begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with drug abuse, public services and local infrastructure among the issues likely to feature in the electoral debate.
(With ANI Inputs)
