Anmol Gagan Maan will not contest elections, says Kejriwal was not happy with her decision

Aam Aadmi Party MLA and former Punjab cabinet minister Anmol Gagan Maan has announced that she will not contest the upcoming Punjab assembly elections. She has clarified that this is her personal decision and the party has not cancelled her ticket.

Sharing a message for the people of Punjab on social media, the MLA from Kharar stated that various discussions were sparked due to her silence. She had informed party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal about this decision at 12 noon during her meeting with him in Delhi on August 5, 2026.

According to Anmol Gagan Maan, Kejriwal had called her three days ago to ask if she still stood by her decision not to contest elections. Upon her saying yes, Kejriwal asked her to publicly clarify that the party did not cut her ticket, but staying away from the electoral fray was her own choice.

The former minister said that Arvind Kejriwal was not happy with this step of hers, but this decision is entirely her own. Along with this, she extended best wishes to the Aam Aadmi Party for the coming time.

Having joined the Aam Aadmi Party in 2020, Anmol Gagan Maan defeated Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Ranjit Singh Gill from the Kharar constituency by a margin of over 37,700 votes in the 2022 assembly elections. In July 2022, she became a cabinet minister in Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's government and held the portfolios of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Investment Promotion, and Labour until September 2024.

Earlier in July 2025, she had also spoken of resigning as an MLA and quitting politics, but after talks with the party's senior leadership, she had withdrawn her resignation. Now, after her name was not included in the lists announced for the upcoming elections, she has cleared this position.

Key developments

• Anmol Gagan Maan personally decided not to contest the upcoming Punjab assembly elections.
• She stated that she had informed Arvind Kejriwal about this decision in Delhi on August 5, 2026.
• Kejriwal had called three days ago to confirm her decision and asked her to publicly clarify the situation.
• She clarified that the party has not cancelled her ticket.