The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has suffered another organisational setback in Punjab with Sukhdeep Singh Chhina, Director of the Punjab Dairy Development Board, resigning from the party’s primary membership and all positions held within the organisation.

Chhina submitted his resignation to AAP Punjab president Aman Arora. In his letter, he stated that he was relinquishing his party responsibilities as well as his primary membership. However, the resignation letter, as reported, does not specify the reason behind his decision. There is also no confirmation that he has resigned from his government-appointed position as Director of the Punjab Dairy Development Board.

The timing of Chhina’s exit is politically significant. His resignation came a day after AAP released its second list of 31 candidates for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections on November 12, taking the total number of declared nominees to 71 out of the state’s 117 constituencies. The latest list also reflected substantial changes, with several sitting legislators being replaced and two sitting MPs — Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal — being fielded for the Assembly polls.

Chhina’s departure adds to a series of exits from the party as it steps up preparations for the next Assembly election. Earlier, AAP MLAs Chetan Singh Jouramajra and Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra had also resigned from the party’s primary membership following the announcement of the first candidate list on October 31. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh had also left the party, according to subsequent reports.

While the reasons behind Chhina’s resignation remain unclear, the succession of departures during the candidate-selection phase places the spotlight on AAP’s organisational cohesion and internal dynamics in Punjab. With the party announcing candidates well ahead of the 2027 polls, the coming weeks will indicate how it manages dissent, retains its organisational network and prepares its leadership at the constituency level.