Punjab AAP hits reset in seats before 2027 elections, sparks ticket struggle

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.The 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