AAP releases first list of 8 candidates for Lok Sabha election in Punjab

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday released its first list of eight candidates for Punjab for the Lok Sabha polls, fielding five Cabinet ministers.
The state’s ruling party also named a former Congress MLA and a Punjabi actor as its candidates for the polls expected to be held April-May.
According to the list released by the party, Cabinet ministers Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has been fielded from Amritsar, Laljit Singh Bhullar from Khadoor Sahib, Gurmeet Singh Khudian from Bathinda, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer from Sangrur and Dr Balbir Singh from Patiala.
Dhaliwal, Bhullar, Khudian and Balbir Singh are first-time MLAs from Ajnala in Amritsar district, Patti in Tarn Taran district, Lambi in Muktsar district and Patiala Rural in Patiala district, respectively.
While Bhullar, who is the transport minister, had defeated Congress’ Harminder Singh Gill in the 2022 Assembly polls in Patti, Khudian, who is the agriculture minister, had defeated Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch and five-time Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal in Lambi.
Two-time Barnala MLA Hayer, who holds the portfolios of sports and youth welfare, water resources and science and technology in the AAP Government, thanked the party leadership for reposing faith in him by selecting him as the candidate for Sangrur—a parliamentary seat won by Mann in 2014 and 2019. Hayer was the president of the youth wing of the AAP.
The AAP has named Gurpreet Singh GP, a former Congress MLA from Bassi Pathana, from the Fatehgarh Sahib Lok Sabha seat. He had recently joined the AAP.