Lok Sabha Polls: Five Punjab ministers, sitting MP in AAP’s first list of 8 candidates

Chandigarh : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday took a lead over its rivals in Punjab by releasing its first list of eight candidates for the Lok Sabha elections that includes five cabinet ministers and a sitting MP.

The AAP candidates include NRI affairs minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Amritsar, transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar from Khadoor Sahib, sports minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Sangrur, agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian from Bathinda, health minister Dr Balbir Singh from Patiala, sitting MP Sushil Kumar Rinku from Jalandhar, former MLA Gurpreet Singh GP from Fatehgarh Sahib and Karamjeet Anmol from the Faridkot Lok Sabha constituency.

However, there is no woman candidate in the list.

The candidates for eight of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab were announced by AAP national general secretary (origination) Dr Sandeep Pathak. “The names of candidates for the remaining five seats are under discussion. They will be announced by the party high command soon,” a senior party leader said.

The AAP, which currently has one MP, has managed to leave its rivals – the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) – behind by announcing the names of its candidates first, giving them a head start. Both the Congress and BJP have declared their candidates in several states but are still to decide the names on their nominees for any of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The ruling party’s move to field five cabinet ministers has become a talking point in political circles with rivals calling it a sign of nervousness, whereas the AAP leaders called them the most “suitable candidates”.

Hayer has been fielded from Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, which was won by chief minister Bhagwant Mann in 2014 and 2019. Mann vacated the seat after he got elected to the state assembly in March 2022, but the party lost the bypoll held three months later. “I am thankful to the entire leadership, including Bhagwant Mann ji, for fielding me from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency. I will remain indebted to my people and the party for their support. This is a key seat. The CM has been elected from here twice. I hope people will elect me this time. I assure them that I will always be at their service,” the young minister said.

Dr Balbir Singh has been fielded from Patiala Lok Sabha constituency where Preneet Kaur is the sitting MP. A four-time MP, she joined the BJP on New Delhi on Thursday. Dr Balbir thanked his idol and political guru Arvind Kejriwal and Mann for trusting him with the task. “As a dedicated soldier of the party, it’s a privilege and an honour to carry the flag of struggle for justice and liberty during these trying times for the country. I assure the party leadership and the people of Patiala that I will leave no stone unturned in the service of the country, state and party,” he said.

Khudian, who has been fielded from the Bathinda seat, said he is confident of breaching another stronghold of the SAD.

“I am confident that electors would repose faith in me in Bathinda, the seat that has been retained by SAD’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal since 2009,” said Khudian.

The AAP has already started its election campaign. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and chief minister Bhagwant Mann had launched the party’s poll campaign in Punjab on Monday with the slogan – “Sansad ch vee Bhagwant Mann, Khushaal Punjab te vadhegi shaan” (With Bhagwant Mann in Parliament as well, Punjab will be happy and prosperous), making Mann the face of the party for the Lok Sabha elections.