Five Cabinet ministers, an actor in AAP first list of Lok Sabha candidates

The nominees represent a mix of political heavyweights and newcomers, with several ministers among them. Should these candidates emerge victorious, they will not only relinquish their Cabinet positions but also trigger by-elections for their Vidhan Sabha seats.

AAP has taken the lead in Punjab by announcing its candidates ahead of other parties. With both AAP and Congress opting to contest independently and refusing to form an alliance, Punjab is poised for a multi-faceted electoral battle, as the Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party have also not forged a coalition yet. Despite being part of the INDIA bloc at the national level, Congress and AAP remain rivals in Punjab.

Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh is the party candidate from the Patiala seat, challenging incumbent Member of Parliament Perneet Kaur, who will now contest on a BJP ticket. Dr. Singh, an eye surgeon, has a history of activism dating back to the JP movement in 1974 and the 2011 anti-corruption movement. He joined AAP before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and served as co-convenor until Bhagwant Mann’s resignation following Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s apology to SAD leader Bikram Majithia. In the 2017 Assembly elections, he ran against former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in the Patiala Urban segment but was unsuccessful. However, he secured victory in the 2022 Assembly elections by defeating Mohit Mohindra, the son of senior Congress leader Brahm Mohindra, in the Patiala Rural segment.

Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian is set to run for the Bathinda seat, currently held by SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Khuddian gained prominence as a giant slayer when he defeated former five-time Chief Minister and 11-time MLA Parkash Singh Badal in his stronghold Lambi constituency. He is the son of former Lok Sabha MP Jagdev Singh Khuddian and was previously associated with the Congress. Known to be close to Amarinder Singh, Khuddian served as his covering candidate during the 2017 Assembly elections when he contested against Badal in Lambi.

Dhaliwal, a former NRI who returned to Punjab to pursue a political career, has been nominated from Amritsar. As the rural development minister, he led a campaign to reclaim usurped land. Dhaliwal, formerly affiliated with the Congress, brings his experience to the electoral arena.

Laljit Singh Bhullar, currently an MLA from the Patti segment, rose to prominence by defeating Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, the son-in-law of former CM Badal. Bhullar began his political journey as an AAP volunteer and contested against Kairon. He will now contest from the Khadoor Sahib constituency.

Meet Hayer, a rising star in AAP, serves as the sports minister and has been nominated to run for the Sangrur seat. Currently, Sangrur is represented by SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjeet Singh Mann and is also the home district of Chief Minister Mann, who himself served as a two-time MP from Sangrur.

Former Congress MLA Gurpreet Singh GP, who recently joined AAP, has been selected as the candidate for Fatehgarh Sahib. GP, belonging to the SC category, previously served as an MLA from Bassi Pathana from 2017 to 2022 when he was defeated by a margin of over 37,000 votes by an AAP newcomer. GP is a stout critic of former INC chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi whose brother Dr. Manohar Singh, contested against him as an independent in the last assembly polls.

Rinku, the sole Lok Sabha MP from AAP, was elected from Jalandhar during the Lok Sabha by-elections following the passing of Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary during Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. A former Congress MLA, Rinku switched parties and joined AAP a fortnight before the bypolls.

Karamjit Anmol, a versatile talent in the Punjabi entertainment scene, is renowned as an actor, comedian, singer, and film producer. Anmol is said to be a close acquaintance of . CM Bhagwant Mann and had actively campaigned for the party in the previous Lok Sabha elections. His notable works include roles in Punjabi hits like “Laavaan Phere” and “Carry on Jatta 2.” Beyond the silver screen, he has captivated audiences with his performances in comedy plays such as “OMG !! Oh My God” and “Naughty Baba In Town,” staged across Canada, America, New Zealand, and Australia. Recognized for his comedic prowess, he was honored with the “PTC Best Comedian Of The Year” award in 2017 for his role in “Main Teri Tu Mera.” Notably, he hails from a prestigious musical lineage, being the nephew of the legendary Punjabi folk singer, Kuldeep Manak.

After getting the party ticker, Dr Balbir Singh said they will contest and strengthen the hands of INDIA bloc. “BJP’s boat is going to sink. They have included all corrupt people like Preneet Kaur. I want to thank my political gurus, Kejriwal Sahan and Mann Sahab. INDIA bloc will win. We will win on not only nine assembly segments in Patiala but also will win with a bigger margin. We will contribute to the government of INDIA bloc. We will expose the jumla party. BJP is going to implode. They were not letting us work. “

Meet Hayer said that he was thankful to the party for posing confidence in him for the third time. “I have been a soldier of the party. I contested twice from Barnala. People of Barnala made me an MLA during Congress wave in 2017. People as well as party has given me a lot. I was given a berth in the Cabinet. I have been given ticket from the key seat, known as nucleus of AAP. The CM has been an MP for two times. I hope people will elect me this time. I have always worked hard with honesty. I hope people of Sangrur will also support me.”

Karamjit Anmol said that CM Mann had called him an hour before the announcement of ticket and told him that he was being fielded from Faridkot. He said he was told a month and half ago that he would be fielded but he had reservations. “Then Mann sahab told me that we will have to stand up for Punjab. So I hope people of Punjab will support me. I had never dreamt that I would ever foray into politics,” he said.