Punjab Political Shake-Up Ahead Of 2027 Polls: Three Rebel AAP MLAs, Including Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, Join BJP

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is facing a huge setback in Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with three of its rebel MLAs joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi on Monday, November 2.  

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra and Chetan Singh Jouramajra formally joined the BJP at the party headquarters. Their induction comes as the BJP looks to expand its political presence in Punjab ahead of the next Assembly polls.

Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon and Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva welcomed the three leaders and felicitated them on joining the party.

Three AAP MLAs Exit Ahead Of Punjab Polls

The BJP induction follows a series of exits from the AAP. Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra, who represents the Sanaur constituency in Patiala district, and Chetan Singh Jouramajra, the MLA from Samana, resigned from the party's primary membership on Sunday. 

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who represents Amritsar North, submitted his resignation from the Punjab Legislative Assembly to Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Monday. The former IPS officer also announced his decision through a social media post.

All three MLAs had won their respective constituencies in the 2022 Assembly elections. Jouramajra defeated Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Surjit Singh Rakhra in Samana by 39,713 votes. Pathanmajra won Sanaur by defeating SAD's Harinder Pal Singh Chandumajra with a margin of 49,122 votes.

Singh secured the Amritsar North seat by defeating SAD candidate Anil Joshi by 28,318 votes.

AAP's First List Of 40 Candidates Adds To Political Churn 

The exits come shortly after the AAP announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. The party has renominated all 40 sitting MLAs from their respective constituencies, making it the first major political party to announce candidates for the upcoming polls.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will contest from his current Dhuri constituency. The party has also nominated jailed leader Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West. Arora is currently lodged in Bhondsi Jail in Gurugram in connection with an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case.

Other candidates named in the first list include Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal from Ajnala, Baljinder Kaur from Talwandi Sabo, Amansher Singh Shery Kalsi from Batala and Labh Singh Ugoke from Bhadaur.

The departures have added to the political developments within the AAP's Punjab unit as it prepares to defend its position in the state.

Punjab Assembly Polls Due In Early 2027

The Punjab Assembly elections are due in early 2027, with polling expected around February-March. The Election Commission has not yet announced the schedule. Elections are also expected in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur during the same period.

The five-year term of the 117-member Punjab Assembly ends on March 16, 2027.

In the 2022 Assembly elections, the AAP registered a sweeping victory, winning 92 of the state's 117 seats. The Congress finished second with 18 seats.