Thiruvananthapuram:
Contesting from prison, Anas Vazhakulam, accused of chopping-off hand of Kerala lecturer TJ Joseph, has won a panchayat seat from Ernakulam, in the recently held civic polls, with a margin of over one thousand votes.
Anas was fielded by the newly launched Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political arm of Popular Front of India(PFI), the party that carried out massive protests against TJ Joseph for preparing a question paper with alleged derogatory references to Prophet Mohammed.
The party won 12 of the 2000-odd seats it contested.
"It is a very localised victory, I don't think it will have any impact on the Assembly elections in future," said Dr G Gopakumar the Head of the Departmentt of Political Science in Kerala University.
After the attack on Joseph four months ago the government had cracked down on hardline groups like Popular Front of India. But many believe that the SDPI used this issue to win the sympathy of Muslim voters that in turn helped it mark this victory.
Now in judicial custody and lodged in Viyyur central jail, Anas had contested for the seat after obtaining permission from the local court.
He is the 47th accused in the case.