Photo Source: Ajitpal Singh Kohli's Facebook account
Ajitpal Singh Kohli gets AAP ticket again
Former Patiala Mayor comes from a family with a decades-long Akali Dal background; defeated former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in the 2022 Assembly elections
Harvinder Kaur
Chandigarh, October 31, 2026: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has renominated sitting Patiala MLA Ajitpal Singh Kohli from the Patiala Assembly constituency for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, retaining him in its first list of 40 candidates announced on Saturday.
Kohli, who entered the Punjab Legislative Assembly for the first time in 2022, had defeated former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in the Patiala constituency, which had been considered the latter’s political stronghold.
His renomination comes as the AAP begins preparations for the next Assembly elections by announcing candidates for 40 of the state’s 117 constituencies.
Also Read: Big Breaking: AAP releases list of 40 candidates
From Akali Dal family to AAP
Ajitpal Singh Kohli comes from a family with a long political association with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), spanning more than seven decades, according to a Hindustan Times report published in January 2022.
His father, Surjit Singh Kohli, was a senior Akali Dal leader who served as a minister holding the Public Works Department (PWD) portfolio in the government formed in 1997. His grandfather, Sardara Singh Kohli, also represented the Akali Dal as an MLA.
Ajitpal Singh Kohli himself was associated with the Akali Dal before joining the AAP in January 2022, shortly before the Punjab Assembly elections.
His entry into the AAP marked a political shift for the family, which had remained associated with the SAD for generations.
Served as Patiala Mayor for five years
Before entering the Assembly, Kohli had an established presence in Patiala’s municipal politics.
According to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha’s official profile, he served as Mayor of the Patiala Municipal Corporation from 2007 to 2012. He subsequently remained a municipal councillor from 2012 to 2017.
Kohli holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and is a businessman by profession. He was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly for the first time in 2022 from Patiala.
Defeated Captain Amarinder Singh in 2022
Kohli’s electoral victory in 2022 attracted considerable attention as he defeated former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who had represented Patiala in several previous Assembly elections.
According to the official Punjab Vidhan Sabha election profile, Kohli secured 48,104 votes, while Amarinder Singh, who contested on the Punjab Lok Congress ticket, received 28,231 votes.
Kohli won by a margin of 19,873 votes.
The result marked a significant change in the political representation of Patiala, which Amarinder Singh had represented in four consecutive Assembly elections between 2002 and 2017.
Legislative responsibilities
During his tenure in the 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Kohli served on several legislative committees. His assignments included the Committee on Subordinate Legislation and Committee on Local Bodies in 2022-23, followed by the Committee on Panchayati Raj Institutions and Committee on Estimates in 2023-24.
He also served on the Committee on Public Accounts and Committee on Local Bodies during 2024-25.
According to the Assembly’s 2025-26 profile, he is a member of the Committee on Public Undertakings and Committee on Local Bodies.With the AAP announcing his candidature from Patiala for another term, Kohli will seek a second consecutive Assembly victory from the constituency in 2027.
The party’s first list also names Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann from Dhuri, Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan from Kotkapura and jailed minister Sanjeev Arora from Ludhiana West.