Chandigarh, Nov. 1 -- The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday renominated 40 sitting legislators in the first list of candidates, setting of the blocks early for the 2027 Punjab assembly elections. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann will once again contest from Dhuri, while jailed minister 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 gives its candidates an early start in their respective constituencies. All 40 candidates are sitting MLAs, covering nearly 34% of the state's 117 Assembly seats. The party is expected to release its second list next week. Mann said 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 from Mohali, 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 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, AAP 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....