Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has confirmed he will contest the 2027 Assembly elections from Dhuri, the constituency that put him in the state’s political spotlight in the 2022 polls.

To advertise here,

The announcement comes as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) steps up preparations for another electoral battle in Punjab.

Mann made the announcement following discussions with the party's senior leadership over candidate selection and its strategy for the upcoming elections. 

The deliberations included AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia, along with Punjab party president Aman Arora and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.

The party is guiding candidate selection through public feedback and constituency-level surveys, assessing the performance and popularity of its sitting legislators.

Mann said the party had identified candidates who had received favourable responses in public surveys. He said the party would make the names public on social media platforms, including X, as the selection process moves forward.

The AAP leadership is also expected to take its shortlisted candidates through the party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC) before formally announcing the nominees.

The party is preparing to release its first list well ahead of the elections, giving candidates time to establish contact with voters and begin their campaigns.

Mann's emphatic Dhuri victory in 2022

Dhuri, located in Punjab's Sangrur district, has been central to Mann's political journey in the state. He contested the constituency in the 2022 Assembly elections as AAP's chief ministerial candidate and won decisively.

Mann defeated Congress candidate Dalvir Singh Goldy, also known as Dalvir Singh Khangura, by 58,206 votes.

His victory coincided with AAP's sweeping performance across Punjab, where the party won 92 of the state's 117 Assembly seats.

Following the electoral triumph, Mann was sworn in as Punjab's 17th Chief Minister on March 16, 2022, taking over the state's administration after AAP ended the Congress government's tenure.

His decision to return to Dhuri sets the stage for another contest in the constituency, this time with the added weight of his performance as Chief Minister.

With the 2027 elections approaching, AAP will look to defend its position in Punjab while facing the challenge of retaining voter confidence after its first full term in government.

The early candidate-selection exercise signals that the party intends to begin its electoral preparations well before the official announcement of the poll schedule.