Barely seven months ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appears to be recalibrating its organisational structure by appointing new constituency in-charges or promoting alternative leaders alongside its sitting MLAs.While the AAP has made no official announcement linking these changes to ticket distribution, the emergence of such parallel power centres has triggered speculations in several constituencies.AdvertisementThe latest example is Bathinda Rural, where retired sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Gopal Singh was appointed as the AAP’s constituency in-charge earlier this month. The constituency is represented by AAP MLA Amit Rattan Kotfatta, who was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau in an alleged bribery case in February 2023 and granted bail in May in a case for which the trial is still underway.Reacting to the appointment, Kotfatta said, “This is the fourth constituency in-charge appointed by the party in the past three years. It is the party’s decision.” Asked whether these appointments were linked to the pending case against him, Kotfatta said, “The matter is sub judice and it was a fabricated case to malign my image. Let the court decide about the case. I have full faith in the judiciary.”On whether the repeated appointments of constituency in-charges signalled a potential change in the AAP’s candidate from Bathinda Rural for the 2027 polls, Kotfatta said, “I will see when the polls draw closer… People elect an MLA and hence, I will continue serving masses and consult masses for every future decision.”AdvertisementIn Bathinda Urban, represented by AAP MLA Jagrup Singh Gill, another prominent party face, Amarjeet Mehta, president of the Punjab Cricket Association, has increasingly become visible. Gill had openly criticised his party over ticket distribution in the recent local body elections, alleging the party had favoured Mehta, whose son Padamjeet became the Bathinda mayor after the AAP won 33 of the 50 wards in the municipal corporation. Though Gill has remained active in the constituency, he has largely stayed away from party events in recent months.Political observers point to the growing prominence of Amarjeet Mehta, who shared an open campaign vehicle with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal at a roadshow through Bathinda city in June.In Sangrur, represented by AAP MLA Narinder Kaur Bharaj, AAP leader Gurmail Singh Gharachon has emerged as an influential face. Gharachon had unsuccessfully contested the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypoll in June 2022 on the party’s ticket. Party sources say that two months ago, Gharachon played a key role in securing the appointment of the Bhawanigarh Truck Union president, while leaders close to Bharaj reportedly failed to get their preferred candidate accommodated.In Samana, represented by party MLA Chetan Singh Jauramajra, former state minister and senior leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) Surjit Singh Rakhra joined the AAP in May. Since then, AAP workers say two parallel centres of activity have emerged, with both Jauramajra and Rakhra holding separate public programmes.In Patiala Rural, represented by state health minister Balbir Singh, Patiala Deputy Mayor Jagdeep Jagga has put up posters across the city asking voters to elect him from the constituency in 2027. Responding to the development, Balbir Singh said, “Yes, I have seen a few posters of the aspirants, the party has taken due cognisance of the same… However, such things don’t bother me as I am busy with the people of my constituency and the health department… No one may have seen my posters, but I can be seen physically present with my people.”A similar situation has arisen in Malerkotla, where Anwar Bhasod, AAP in-charge of the CM’s camp office in Dhuri, has put up prominent boards across the town carrying the slogan, “Navi soch navi gal, Malerkotla de masle karange hal (New thought, new approach, we will resolve Malerkotla’s issues)”. The constituency is currently represented by party MLA Mohammad Jamil Ur Rahman.Party sources in Malerkotla claimed there was dissatisfaction among sections of residents over civic issues. “Waterlogging, garbage on roads are the basic issues and we are still struggling for all this. At the same time, we will not allow any outsider to be active in the area… There are plenty of other local leaders as well,” said a Malerkotla resident.In May, the AAP appointed Hoshiarpur MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal as the constituency in-charge for Phagwara, replacing Harnoor Singh Mann, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Assembly election from the seat. Chabbewal said, “In 2022, when there was a ‘tsunami’ for the AAP in Punjab, the party couldn’t win even one seat in Kapurthala district (in which Phagwara falls). However, when I contested the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha seat, the AAP got majorities in the Bhulath and Phagwara Assembly segments. So the party appointed me as the constituency in-charge to strengthen the organisational structure.”you may likeParty insiders, however, caution against reading too much into these organisational appointments at this stage. “There can be many other instances where either many ticket aspirants are trying their luck or it is an indication from the party that it may change the ticket of a constituency. However, the final announcement of tickets is far away, hence it is too premature to decide which candidate will be allotted a ticket,” said an AAP insider.Another senior AAP leader admitted that while organisational appointments are a routine exercise, public projection by aspirants through posters could send “unintended political messages”. “If the party is appointing constituency in-charges, it is well and good. But if a few leaders are trying to create a poster war, it sends the wrong message that all is not well within the party,” the leader said.AAP sources also said the party is preparing for the 2027 polls with constituency-level surveys to assess the popularity of the candidates and identify “weak constituencies”.