The PAP will field four new faces to contest opposition-held Aljunied GRC, the party announced on April 13.
They are Dr Faisal Abdul Aziz, Mr Daniel Liu, Dr Adrian Ang and Mr Jagathishwaran Rajo.
Mr Liu, Dr Ang and Dr Faisal were appointed as branch chairpersons in February, in a refresh of the party's Aljunied slate.
Ms Chan Hui Yuh, who is the only remaining member from the PAP's 2020 slate, will lead the five-member team into the upcoming general election.
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing introduced the PAP team during a press conference at Block 226 Serangoon Avenue 4, which is in the group representation constituency's Serangoon ward. Mr Chan, who is the PAP's assistant secretary-general, said: "We aim to have a team with a mix of experienced and new members to earn Singaporeans' mandate.
"We do not take any outcome as a given. Neither should any opposition-held wards feel that they are the only ones having the responsibility to uphold the opposition presence in Parliament."
The PAP will make its latest bid to reclaim Aljunied, after losing the GRC to the Workers' Party in the 2011 General Election.
Ms Chan, 48, is a marketing director who has helmed the PAP's Serangoon branch since 2014, and said at the event that she cared most about helping seniors age in a dignified manner.
She told Aljunied residents: "You have had 14 years without a PAP voice. It's time for a change in our journey. Let us be representatives from Parliament, and take your issues to the national level."
The other four candidates have been involved in party work for at least a decade.
Dr Faisal, 37, has been volunteering with the PAP's Kaki Bukit branch for about 10 years and is a dentist.
He said he would advocate for innovative health screening programmes, and expand the role of allied health professionals to enhance access to care and reduce overall healthcare costs.
Mr Liu, 40, said the team was here to "defy the odds". "Voters here don't vote blindly, and they want their representatives to work hard and be humble."
The managing director of business and finance operations at Morrow Architects and Planners has been volunteering in Nee Soon GRC since 2014 and spoke about overcoming the odds while growing up with albinism, a condition that affects his skin and eyesight. This cemented his belief in the need for liveability and different pathways to success.
Asked if there being no anchor minister puts his team at a disadvantage, he said: "The fact that we are not political office holders running this campaign means that we have more time to be on the ground, more time to engage and understand more holistically."
He was also asked about his team being labelled a "suicide squad". He played this down and referenced the 2016 and 2021 DC Comics films, saying: "Suicide Squad is just a bunch of people who have very different backgrounds who come together and achieve what they want to do. For us, that is to serve and win back this place."
Mr Jagathishwaran, 38, has been active in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC since 2009 and has been a trade unionist for 13 years.
As the caregiver for his late mother and elderly father, he said he wanted to let those in similar circumstances know that they are not alone.
His team had worked on programmes such as providing those in need with grocery vouchers, as well as mental health and job support.
Dr Ang, 42, was secretary of the PAP's Toa Payoh West-Thomson branch for 12 years and is a father of five. He is the director for group sustainability and new business at Chye Thiam Maintenance, and spoke about support for multi-generational households, including amenities and infrastructure that cater to the needs of all age groups.
It remains unclear who they will face in Aljunied, as the WP has not confirmed its slate there.
The incumbent WP MPs are party chief and Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh, party chair Sylvia Lim, vice-chair Faisal Manap and Mr Gerald Giam.
WP new face Kenneth Tiong is expected to be fielded in the GRC's Serangoon ward, which has been left vacant since July 2023, when former MP Leon Perera stepped down.
The boundaries for Aljunied will remain largely unchanged in the coming election, though three polling districts in Tampines West - comprising 3,834 voters - have been moved to the PAP-held Tampines GRC.
As at Feb 1, Aljunied GRC has 144,032 registered electors.
It was the first GRC won by an opposition party since the GRC system was introduced in 1988 - a milestone in Singapore's political history.
The WP team led by then party chief Low Thia Khiang secured 54.72 per cent of the vote. After their vote share dropped to 50.96 per cent in 2015, WP managed a near 10-point swing in the Covid-19 polls in 2020 to win with 59.95 per cent.
