The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday announced its second list of 31 nominees for the Punjab Assembly polls, naming 11 halqa in-charges from the Doaba region.
In all, the party has announced the names of 19 contenders on a total of 23 seats from the Doaba region. In the first list of 40 contenders declared two weeks back, the party had named eight sitting MLAs from Doaba.
The names of ministers Mohinder Bhagat from Jalandhar West and Dr Ravjot Singh from Sham Churasi were again left out. The party is yet to take a call on Sultanpur Lodhi, where Sajjan Singh Cheema has been serving as halqa in-charge for the past two terms, and Banga where former SAD leader Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi had joined AAP.
Among those named on Thursday was Hoshiarpur MP Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal, who has been fielded from Phagwara. Chabbewal, who was appointed the party’s halqa in-charge for Phagwara around six months ago after replacing Harnoor Singh Harji Mann, now becomes AAP’s official candidate from the constituency.
Jalandhar Mayor Vaneet Dhir, who had been declared as halqa in-charge replacing Dinesh Dhall from Jalandhar North, has also been given ticket. Industrialist Nitin Kohli’s name has been unveiled from Jalandhar Central, where the party MLA Raman Arora has been ignored.
Kohli had been appointed halqa in-charge since May 2025. As Vice-President of Hockey India, he is credited with bringing the lately concluded Asian Hockey Championship to Jalandhar. He has taken quite a few initiatives in his zone, including plying of free e-rickshaws for senior residents and launching sports and fitness facilities in all 23 wards of his constituency.
All other lately appointed halqa in-charges, including Harjot Kaur Lohtia from Phillaur, kabaddi player Balbir Singh Pala Jalalpur from Shahkot, industrialist Davinder Pal Singh Ranga from Kapurthala, Pawan Tinu from Adampur, Deepak Bali from Jalandhar Cantt, Robby Kang from Nawanshahr, Sarabjot Singh Saabi from Mukerian and Harsimran Singh from Bholath, have also got the ticket.
Lohtia had contested from Banga on the AAP ticket in 2017 but was shifted to Phillaur a few months ago. Tinu, a former SAD MLA, joined AAP about two-and-a-half years ago. Saabi, once considered a close aide of Bikram Majithia in the SAD, joined the Congress in June 2025 before switching to AAP a year later and becoming halqa in-charge of Mukerian.
All new contenders celebrated the occasion with party workers in their respective offices this evening. They were garlanded by the party workers and supporters. Sweets were distributed to all those who came to rejoice the occasion.
