AAP has unveiled the first batch of its candidates for the 2017 Punjab Assembly election, and has picked Lok Sabha MP Bhagwant Mann to spearhead its campaign in the state.

Who is on the list

The list contains 19 names. Among them are H.S. Phoolka and Himmat Singh Shergill, along with activists, lawyers, sportspeople and traders. Professionals such as a doctor and an engineer also feature, as do a one-time MP and an ex-serviceman.

Mr Mann unveiled the names together with Sanjay Singh, the AAP leader in charge of Punjab. By publishing its candidates now, the party has moved well ahead of its rivals, none of which had yet named theirs. Punjab has 117 Assembly constituencies.

A controversial campaign chief

Mr Mann was recently at the centre of a row and is under investigation for allegedly breaching security protocol. He had posted on social media a video recorded inside Parliament.

What happened next

In the 2017 Punjab election the Congress won 77 of 117 seats, AAP 20 and the Shiromani Akali Dal 15, and Amarinder Singh became Chief Minister. In the 2022 election AAP won 92 seats, and Bhagwant Mann became Chief Minister.

See also: Aam Aadmi Party and Punjab Vidhan Sabha members.

Originally published on 5 August 2016. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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