New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) "Innocent until proven guilty". That’s the campaign maxim used by AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, his loyalist Manish Sisodia, riot accused Tahir Hussain and Shifa-ur Rehman and others who were jailed and are now contesting the Delhi elections.

Having spent time behind bars in connection with different cases, including corruption and riots, they stressed in their campaign that they were framed in "politically motivated" cases.

According to political experts, candidates doing jail stints does not necessarily affect their popularity as politicians. Equally, even if a politician does benefit in terms of public sympathy by being jailed, it does not necessarily translate into votes. Campaigning for the February 5 elections ended Monday evening. The votes will be counted on February 8.

“There is no proof of what they have been alleging. One is innocent till proven guilty and they cannot prove that,” former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal stressed repeatedly during his campaign.

He maintained right through that he was arrested as the BJP wanted to project him as a "chor" (thief) but even his "fiercest enemy" believed he is not corrupt.

In fact, the BJP attacked him for wearing his stint in jail as a “badge of honour”. “He is going around and proudly telling people about his stint in jail like he was jailed during the freedom struggle movement. He went to jail in connection with a liquor case, corruption case... he should be ashamed,” Assam Chief Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma said at a public meeting on Sunday.

Kejriwal was arrested ahead of the Lok Sabha polls last year in connection with a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.

While he got bail briefly to campaign for Lok Sabha polls, he was granted interim bail in the case in September last year with several conditions, including not accessing the chief minister’s office.

Two days later, he resigned as chief minister, saying he will only hold the post when the public declares him honest. Party leader Atishi was then sworn in, becoming Delhi’s third woman chief minister.

According to Abhishek Giri, a political science professor at Delhi University, going to jail does not necessarily affect the election outcomes of candidates.

“Many politicians have some or the other criminal cases against them but not all of them have an impact on their electoral careers. In the case of Arvind Kejriwal, he was seen as an anti-corruption crusader, so being jailed in a corruption case was definitely seen as a dent in his political image.

“However, I don’t think the fact that he was jailed will take precedence over the free water and electricity and other work done by AAP when Delhiites vote in the upcoming elections. And these candidates have been booked in the cases... they haven't been proved guilty yet, even public knows the difference,” Giri told PTI.

Azhar Mehboob, a political science scholar at Jamia Millia Islamia, said the image of a jailed politician is not always linked to voting patterns.

“Irrespective of any political party, the way people perceive political candidates going to jail has been somewhat similar in the past. Some politicians gain sympathy while some outrage but votes are polled mostly on the basis of other factors,” he said. Kejriwal’s trusted aides Manish Sisodia, former deputy chief minister, and AAP leader Sanjay Singh were also arrested in the excise case. Sisodia was granted bail in August last year after spending 17 months in jail and Singh was released on bail in April.

Satyendar Jain, who was among the first AAP leaders to be arrested in different cases, recently said despite the party's leadership being jailed in "false cases," the BJP has been unable to dent its image as "one is innocent till proved guilty".

In jail for over 18 months in a money laundering case of about Rs 4.8 crore lodged by the Enforcement Directorate, the former health minister walked out of Tihar jail in October last year after a Delhi court granted him bail.

He said last week that Delhi Assembly elections are being fought based on the issues and not the accusations being levelled by the BJP.

Other popular names in the fray who have been to jail are AIMIM candidates Tahir Hussain and Shifa-ur Rehman. Husain, who has been fielded from Mustafabad, and Rehman, contesting from Okhla, are in jail over their alleged involvement in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. Both were granted parole to campaign for the polls.

Rahman is pitted against another popular name, AAP's Amanatulla Khan, who is out on bail in connection with alleged irregularities in appointments at the Delhi Waqf Board.

According to an analysis by polls rights body ADR, 19 per cent of candidates contesting the assembly elections in Delhi have declared criminal cases. The figure marks a slight decline from the 2020 election in which 20 per cent of candidates had reported criminal cases in their affidavits.

At least 12 per cent of the candidates in the fray face serious criminal charges, including offences punishable by five or more years in prison. The figure is down from 15 per cent in the previous election, the report stated. PTI GJS SKC MIN MIN