Prisoners of the vote

There are prisoners of conscience and political prisoners. There are also protest prisoners or prisoners of ideology. But in Elections 2004, we have the quaint occurrence of prisoners who are contesting elections, not on the streets or in public rallies but from er…jail. Recently, the Patna High Court notified the Election Commission to countermand the elections of those contesting elections from prison. The EC in turn petitioned the Supreme Court challenging the order and the Supreme Court has ordered a stay on the Patna High Court’s demand.

But who says that a prison sentence ever harmed a political career? After all, everybody from the founding fathers to the anti-Emergency protesters found themselves behind bars for long periods. Of course this is not to imply that political duties be regarded as parallel to criminal activities or vice versa but then one man’s terrorist was always another man’s freedom fighter. As the old saying goes, let the punishment fit the crime and if a jail sentence is not tough enough punishment, then a stint in Parliament just might do the trick in bringing criminals to proper justice. Here are some of the candidates who are contesting elections from jail.

Babloo Srivastava
Once a feared member of the D-Company, now contesting elections from Sitapur, a seat where Lal Bahadur Shastri once fought from.

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By contrast, such is Babloo’s control over the prison that he is known to run his entire campaign from behind bars.

Mohammed Shahabuddin
Still in a prison hospital and contesting from Siwan on an RJD ticket. No one, least of all party boss Laloo Prasad Yadav, can stand up to the strongest man of Siwan.

Pappu Yadav
Also running his campaign from a prison hospital and contesting on a Lok Janashakti ticket from Purnea.

Rajan Tiwari
The don of eastern UP is contesting from Betia as an Independent candidate against Raghunath Jha.

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Arun Gawli
The don of Dagdi Chawl, out on bail but confined to a certain area, is contesting from Mumbai South Central as an Independent.