The state’s ruling AAP has begun the process of identifying candidates for the Assembly elections early next year, with the party leadership reviewing feedback from all 117 constituencies.According to highly placed sources, a meeting of top party leaders was held in Delhi last evening. Such meetings will now be held in Punjab over the next few days to decide candidates for the elections.The sources told The Tribune that the “ground feedback” system, being implemented in all 117 constituencies, was also reviewed during the meeting.Under the system, said to be devised by AAP Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia, six sector in-charges have been appointed in all constituencies.These in-charges are taking daily feedback on ongoing government schemes and the party’s performance from the electorate. This feedback is then directly shared with the AAP MLA or halqa in-charge as well as the party top brass on a regular basis.“AAP has built its organisational structure right at the ground level, which will ensure our success. Our strength lies in our workers and the development works undertaken by the government,” Punjab AAP president Aman Arora told The Tribune.Meanwhile, party sources indicated that a large number of sitting MLAs were expected to be retained.The party has quietly appointed new halqa in-charges and “empowered” them as parallel power centres alongside some sitting MLAs.This has been done in constituencies, where sitting MLAs are either considered weak, not toeing the party leadership’s line or have gained “notoriety”.‘Parallel power centres’For instance, while the party had earlier appointed a halqa in-charge in Bathinda (Rural), another halqa in-charge was appointed for Patti today – both constituencies having a sitting AAP MLA — Amit Rattan Kotfatta and former minister Laljit Singh Bhullar.In other Assembly segments like Dera Bassi, Sanaur, Samana, Bathinda Urban, Mansa and Lambi, the party is reportedly empowering leaders, some imported from other parties or their own second-rung leaders. Though the party has not denied sitting MLAs tickets for the 2027 elections, creating parallel centres of power is drawing eyeballs.As of now, the party has 94 MLAs in the 117-member Assembly. In the remaining 23 constituencies with Opposition parties, AAP has started appointing halqa in-charges, especially in segments represented by the Congress.Halqa in-charges have already been appointed for Sujanpur, Phillaur, Phagwara, Qadian, Fatehgarh Churian and Jalandhar North. The party has also appointed halqa in-charges for Nawanshahr (represented by the BSP) and Mukerian (represented by the BJP).