 Anas had won the block panchayat election while in prison for the palm chopping case.The victory "reflected public sentiments against police action".SDPI has representations in 16 states of India including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andrapradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Manipur.