Chandigarh/Amritsar: Facing questions over Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) second list of candidates, particularly the dropping of agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said not everyone can get a ticket and the party had other roles.AAP faces resentment in Rajasansi as well since the fielding of actress Sonia Mann, who joined the party last year, hasn’t gone down well with old-time workers. Three senior functionaries have resigned.Asked specifically about Khudian’s omission, Mann said the decision rested with the party. Without naming Khudian, he said: “These are decisions of the party. Not everyone can be given an election ticket. Some are assigned responsibilities in the party organisation and work behind the scenes. Tickets can be changed and it shouldn’t matter. There are only 117 assembly constituencies, but the party is much bigger. Of the 31 candidates announced in the second list, 25 are new faces and that should be appreciated.”“In the 2017 assembly elections, the party asked me to contest from Jalalabad. I was not even declared the chief ministerial face then, but I accepted the decision. The party is supreme. We are not among those who switch parties simply because they are denied an election ticket,” he said.Asked about reports of resentment among some party cadres following the release of the second list, Mann said, “Not many are upset. However, it is human nature for one to feel disappointed when denied an election ticket.”Khudian earned the tag of a ‘giant slayer’ after defeating former chief minister and SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal from his stronghold of Lambi in the 2022 assembly elections. It came as a surprise to many when he was dropped from AAP’s second list.He has since said that he accepted the party’s decision wholeheartedly and would campaign for his nephew to ensure his victory.AAP faces dissent over its decision to field actress Sonia Mann from Rajasansi. Three party functionaries — including Punjab Dairy Development Board director Sukhdeep Singh Chhina and a former halqa in charge — have resigned.Chhina, who has been associated with AAP for 13 years, resigned from all party positions and its primary membership.Talking to TOI, Chhina questioned the criteria adopted by the party leadership while selecting its candidate and wondered why dedicated workers who toiled for years to strengthen the party were overlooked. Without directly criticising Sonia Mann, he said people were aware of everything and would deliver their verdict in the elections.In the 2022 assembly election, AAP’s candidate Baldev Singh Midian came third in Rajasansi. This time, the party chose the daughter of a comrade, Baldev Singh Mann, who was shot dead by terrorists.In his resignation letter to AAP state president Aman Arora, dated Nov 12, Chhina expressed displeasure over the manner in which the candidature was decided, alleging that the seniority and contributions of longstanding party workers had been ignored.Rajbir Singh, former Halqa in charge of Rajasansi, and Gurdev Singh Joban Jhanjoti, coordinator of the party’s Scheduled Caste wing in the constituency, also resigned from primary membership.Chhina said several netas, including himself, felt humiliated and ignored for nearly two months despite repeatedly approaching the party high command with their grievances. He alleged that they were asked to join another political party and were even threatened with expulsion.
