Hit by MLA Exodus, AAP Declares 1st List of Candidates for Punjab Assembly Polls

Fearing exodus of prominent legislators and more leaders joining the chorus for declaring a chief ministerial face for the forthcoming assembly elections, the Punjab unit of the Aam Aadmi Party on Friday declared its first list of candidates, retaining all the sittings MLAs.

While the party is still to declare a CM face despite claims by AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that the party will project a Sikh face in Punjab, it has been unable to do so with the assembly elections a few months away.

Even as state party leadership has been claiming that the people from different walks of life are joining the party, what left the party red-faced on Wednesday was when one of its sitting MLA from Bathinda Rural (reserved), Rupinder Kaur Ruby, crossed over to join the Congress.

The bench strength of the APP has been dwindling and the state leadership has failed to keep the flock together. In the last assembly election, the party had won 20 seats and became the principal opposition party in the Vidhan Sabha.

But the strength over the years has now come down to 11 with five MLAs, including Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who was arrested by the ED on Wednesday, joining the Congress. Another leader H S Phoolka has quit politics and Kanwar Sandhu in under suspension. Baldev Singh was disqualified from the state assembly last week and Amarjit Sandoa has remained undecided. Their candidature has thus not been announced in the first list.

The first list includes AAP legislature party leader Harpal Singh Cheema who has been fielded from Dirba assembly constituency, his deputy Saravjit Kaur Manuke will contest from Jagraon. Jai Kishan Rori has been named from Garhshankar, Manjeet Bilaspur from Nihal Singh Wala, Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura, Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo, Budhram from Budhlada, Aman Arora from Sunam, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Barnala and Kulwant Pandori from Mehal Kalan, according to the list released by AAP state unit chief Bhagwant Mann and Punjab affairs in-charge Jarnail Singh. All 10 are first-time legislators.

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