Three AAP Rebels Join BJP After Punjab Candidate List Triggers Resignations

AAP began announcing candidates for Punjab's 2027 Assembly elections on October 31, releasing a first list of 40 names. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the names were announced after a meeting of the party's Political Affairs Committee, according to The Hindu.

The list kept Mann in Dhuri, the constituency he will contest again, Times of India India reported. All 40 nominees were sitting MLAs, according to Swarajya.

On October 30, Mann confirmed that the first candidate list would be announced the following day, Punjab Newsline reported.

The October 31 announcement included Mann and a jailed MLA, according to India Today. It was the party's opening slate, rather than its complete candidate list.

On November 1, Chetan Singh Jouramajra from Samana and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra resigned from AAP's primary membership, Times now reported. India Today described their departures as coming a day after they were denied tickets.

On November 2, both joined the BJP alongside Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, according to Times now. The three attacked the Mann government, with India Today reporting criticism over corruption and gangsters.

The BJP has gained three rebel AAP leaders ahead of the election. Two of them are the same leaders whose resignations were reported on November 1, not three additional departures beyond that pair, according to the names published by Times now.

Reports differ on the status of Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh. India News describes him as a former MLA, while Scroll.in describes the three who joined the BJP as MLAs. The coverage also does not consistently distinguish resignation from the party and resignation from the Assembly: Times now specifies primary membership, while India News reports Assembly resignations.

AAP's remaining candidate announcements are the next part of its election preparations to watch. The first list covered 40 candidates, according to The Hindu; the supplied coverage gives no date for the next list.

The polling timetable also remains unclear in these reports. Scroll.in places the election in February 2027, while Times now says March-April. The supplied coverage does not resolve that difference.