Chandigarh, October 31
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sardar Pargat Singh launched a sharp attack on the first list of 40 candidates released by the Aam Aadmi Party for the 2027 Assembly elections, saying that AAP’s tall claims of women’s empowerment, honest politics and transparency have collapsed at the very first test of ticket distribution. The party, which made grand promises before coming to power, has failed to live up to its own claims.
Pargat said that giving tickets to only four women out of 40 candidates exposes AAP’s anti-women mindset and its hollow claims of respecting women. The party, which speaks of equal rights and greater political participation for women, has pushed them to the margins when it comes to distributing tickets. AAP must explain where its promises of giving women their rightful place have disappeared in its candidate list.
PPCC chief said that fielding Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West, while he is lodged in jail in a money laundering case, raises serious questions about AAP’s claims of honest politics. The very party that came to power in the name of fighting corruption is now backing a leader facing serious allegations and controversies. AAP leadership must explain to the people of Punjab where its proclaimed ethical standards disappear when such decisions are taken.
Taking a dig at AAP, which is facing protests demanding justice in the Parminder Singh Jhota case, Pargat Singh said that the party has not even been able to muster the courage to announce its candidate from Mansa. Meanwhile, the names of Punjab AAP president Aman Arora and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema are also missing from the first list, reflecting the uneasy political situation within the party. Moreover, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann could not secure a ticket from Patiala Urban for his close media adviser. The announcement of Ajitpal Singh as the candidate from this constituency raises questions about the Chief Minister’s influence over the ticket distribution process.
The Punjab Congress president said that AAP’s first list has made three things clear: the party has no genuine intent to provide adequate representation to women, its claims of honesty are far from beyond question, and its internal leadership and decision-making process remain mired in controversy. In the 2027 elections, AAP will have to answer for its promises, decisions and the full record of its four-and-a-half-year rule.