Shifa-ur-Rahman Khan is running for a seat in the Delhi Assembly. He’s doing this while being in jail under the UAPA law. He’s with the AIMIM party and wants to represent the Okhla area in the election coming up on February 5th. His situation is unusual because he hasn’t been in politics before and is still locked up because of accusations of being involved in the Delhi riots of 2020. His wife is running his campaign instead.
His wife says the main reason he’s running is to fight back against what they think is unfair treatment. She feels the courts haven’t been fair to him and sees the election as a way to speak out and get people on his side. She claims he shouldn’t be in jail under the UAPA and that being part of the election is how they can try to free him and push back on the idea that he’s being unfairly targeted.
The campaign is really about making people know about his case and how she feels the UAPA law is being used wrong. His wife points out how long he’s been locked up before the trial as an example of a bigger problem with the law. She’s trying to get the community to come together and support her husband and thinks this election is a chance for people to show they are against the misuse of power. She’s pushing hard to win despite how hard it is to campaign when the candidate is in prison.