Chandigarh, Nov. 1 -- The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab assembly elections, placing its faith entirely in sitting legislators. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann will once again contest from Dhuri, while jailed MLA Sanjeev Arora has been renominated from Ludhiana West. The announcement, made nearly four months ahead of the polls, signals the ruling party's decision to prioritise continuity and give its candidates an early start in their respective constituencies. All 40 candidates named in this initial phase are sitting MLAs, covering nearly 34% of the state's 117 assembly seats. The party is expected to release its second list next week. The AAP similarly took an early lead in declaring candidates ahead of the 2017 assembly elections, its debut electoral contest in Punjab. Mann said that candidate selections were finalised following public surveys and performance evaluations of sitting MLAs to assess local electoral prospects. Besides Mann, prominent names on the list include real estate baron Kulwant Singh, who has once again secured the ticket from Mohali, along with Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar from Amritsar South, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Ajnala, Balkar Singh from Kartarpur, and Ajitpal Singh Kohli from Patiala. In the industrial hub of Ludhiana, the AAP announced candidates across all five assembly constituencies: Daljit Singh Grewal (Bhola) from Ludhiana East, Kulwant Singh Sidhu from Atam Nagar, Ashok Parashar (Pappi) from Ludhiana Central, Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West, and Madan Lal Bagga from Ludhiana North. Other key candidates declared include Amandeep Kaur Arora from Moga, Jagdeep Kamboj (Goldy) from Jalalabad, Narinderpal Singh from Fazilka, Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar from Muktsar, Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura, and Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo. In Hoshiarpur district, the party fielded Brahm Shankar Jimpa from Hoshiarpur, Ishank Kumar Chabbewal from Chabbewal, Jai Krishan Singh Rouri from Garhshankar, and Karambeer Singh Ghuman from Dasuya. A senior AAP leader noted that rolling out candidates early aims to pressure rival parties, grant nominees ample time to build grassroots momentum, and allow the leadership to address any localised dissatisfaction before campaigns peak. With 77 constituencies remaining, focus turns to the AAP's upcoming list to see whether the party maintains its strategy of backing incumbents or introduces new faces. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal congratulated all 40 candidates and called upon the party to surpass its 2022 performance in the 2027 elections. "The party has given tickets to these candidates following a survey conducted among the people. I congratulate all 40 candidates and call upon everyone to break even the record set in 2022 in the 2027 elections," he said. Talking to the media after the meeting, Mann said: "The party has given tickets to those candidates who received a positive response and were approved by the people in a survey. We hope that all 40 candidates will be elected again. New faces will also get an opportunity."...