Politics

Two AAP MLAs Resign After Party Releases First Candidate List

By Hadi Khan

Two AAP members of the Punjab assembly, Chetan Singh Jouramajra of Samana and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra of Sanour, both in Patiala district, resigned from the party’s primary membership on Sunday, the day after the Aam Aadmi Party announced its first list of 40 candidates for the 2027 assembly elections. The party has not yet named candidates for either of the two constituencies. According to PTI, Pathanmajra sent his resignation letter to AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, while Jouramajra, a former Punjab minister, announced his decision in a social media post. The resignations come as AAP begins preparations for the 2027 polls. In September, the party appointed former Punjab minister Surjit Singh Rakhra as its halqa (constituency) in‑charge for Samana. Rakhra is being viewed as a possible candidate from the seat, although the party has not officially declared him as its nominee. Pathanmajra has previously questioned the functioning of the AAP government in Punjab. He has also been facing a rape case registered in September last year following a complaint by a woman from Zirakpur. She alleged that Pathanmajra had misrepresented himself as a divorcee, entered into a relationship with her and married her in 2021 despite already being married. The Punjab Police arrested Pathanmajra in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior in March this year, more than six months after he allegedly escaped police custody in connection with the case. In May, the Punjab and Haryana high court granted him regular bail in the case. (With inputs from PTI)