From 58,206-vote victory to a fresh test: CM Mann to contest from Dhuri again
The Aam Aadmi Party has renominated the Punjab Chief Minister from the constituency where he secured a decisive victory in 2022, as the party begins preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections.
By Harvinder Kaur
Chandigarh, October 31, 2026: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will contest the 2027 Assembly elections from Dhuri, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announcing his candidature in its first list of 40 candidates released on Saturday.
The decision retains Mann in the constituency where he registered a decisive victory in the 2022 Assembly elections, defeating Congress candidate Dalvir Singh Goldy by 58,206 votes. Mann had secured 82,592 votes against Goldy’s 24,386.
The announcement also puts to rest speculation over whether the Chief Minister might shift to another constituency for the next Assembly elections. AAP released the list following a meeting of its Political Affairs Committee in Delhi. The party has renominated several sitting MLAs from their respective constituencies.
Dhuri, in Sangrur district, has been closely associated with Mann’s political journey since he entered the Punjab Assembly in 2022. His victory came amid AAP’s sweeping performance in the state, where the party won 92 of the 117 Assembly seats and formed the government with Mann as Chief Minister.
However, the 2022 margin does not necessarily settle the question of how the next election will unfold. With opposition parties yet to announce their candidates for Dhuri, attention has already turned to a few political figures who could potentially enter the contest.
One name that has figured in discussions is that of Amritpal Singh, the jailed Lok Sabha MP from Khadoor Sahib and head of Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De). The possibility of fielding him from Dhuri against Mann has been discussed within the party, according to media reports. However, the party has not announced a final decision on his constituency. Talwandi Sabo has also figured among the possible options being considered.
Another name linked to Dhuri is that of former Congress MLA Dalvir Singh Goldy, whom Mann defeated in 2022. Goldy had won the Dhuri Assembly seat in 2017 on a Congress ticket. He left the Congress in 2024 after being denied the party’s ticket for the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency and subsequently joined AAP. After parting ways with AAP, he returned to the Congress in April 2025. He has indicated his intention to contest from Dhuri again in 2027, although the Congress has not formally announced its candidate.
From electoral defeats to the Chief Minister’s office
Mann’s political journey has included electoral setbacks as well as significant victories. He entered active politics in 2011 by joining the People’s Party of Punjab, founded by Manpreet Singh Badal.
In the 2012 Assembly elections, Mann contested from Lehra but lost to Congress leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal. He joined AAP ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and won the Sangrur parliamentary seat, defeating Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa by 2,11,721 votes.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, Mann contested from Jalalabad against Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal but lost. AAP won 20 seats in that election, and Mann became the party’s Punjab unit president. He resigned from the post in 2018 after AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal apologised to Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a defamation case. Mann later returned to the party’s state leadership.
He retained the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 general elections, defeating Congress candidate Kewal Singh Dhillon by 1,10,211 votes.
Ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections, AAP projected Mann as its Chief Ministerial face following a public opinion exercise. He contested from Dhuri and won by 58,206 votes as the party secured a sweeping mandate across Punjab.
Mann took oath as Chief Minister on March 16, 2022, at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. He subsequently resigned from the Sangrur parliamentary seat after becoming Chief Minister.
With AAP announcing his candidature well ahead of the 2027 polls, Mann will once again seek a mandate from Dhuri. The opposition’s eventual choice of candidates, the performance of the state government and the issues that dominate the campaign will shape the electoral contest in the constituency.