Ticket for jailed Sanjeev Arora, only 4 women in 40: Pargat Singh rips AAP’s first list

CHANDIGARH. Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh on Saturday hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party over its first list of candidates for the 2027 Assembly elections, saying the renomination of jailed MLA Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West and the presence of just four women among 40 names had punctured the ruling party’s claims of clean politics and women’s empowerment.

“AAP’s tall claims of women’s empowerment, honest politics and transparency have collapsed at the very first test of ticket distribution,” Pargat said in a statement.

AAP released the list earlier in the day. All 40 names are sitting MLAs, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann set to contest again from Dhuri. Punjab has 117 Assembly seats.

Four women in 40

Pargat said the low count of women exposed the gap between AAP’s words and its choices.

“Giving tickets to only four women out of 40 candidates exposes AAP’s anti-women mindset and its hollow claims of respecting women,” he said. “The party speaks of equal rights for women, but pushed them to the margins when it came to tickets. AAP must explain where its promise of giving women their rightful place has disappeared.”

Jailed MLA back in the race

The Congress chief questioned AAP’s decision to field Arora, who is in jail in a money laundering case.

“The very party that came to power in the name of fighting corruption is now backing a leader facing serious allegations,” Pargat said. “AAP must tell the people of Punjab where its ethical standards disappear when such decisions are taken.”

The Enforcement Directorate arrested Arora, then the state’s industries minister, on May 9 in a ₹100-crore money laundering case linked to alleged fake GST purchases. AAP had called the arrest political vendetta by the BJP.

No name for Mansa

Pargat also mocked the party for leaving out Mansa, where protests seeking justice for slain anti-drug activist Parminder Singh Jhota are still on. Jhota was shot dead in a Mansa market on October 13.

AAP, he said, “has not even been able to muster the courage to announce its candidate from Mansa.”

Big names missing, CM’s pick denied

The Congress leader pointed out that the list does not include AAP state president Aman Arora or Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, which he said reflected unease within the party.

He also claimed that Mann could not get the Patiala Urban ticket for his close media adviser. The party instead renominated sitting MLA Ajitpal Singh Kohli. “This raises questions about the Chief Minister’s say in ticket distribution,” Pargat said.

‘Three things are clear’

Summing up his attack, Pargat said the list showed that AAP had no real intent to give women fair representation, that its claims of honesty were open to question, and that its leadership and decision-making remained mired in controversy.

“In 2027, AAP will have to answer for its promises, its decisions and the full record of its four-and-a-half-year rule,” he said.