He has a number of followers in Sangli, Kolhapur, Pune, Belgaum, Mumbai and Satara parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
[2] In 2008, his followers ransacked movie halls showing the film, Jodhaa Akbar; Bhide was arrested for his role in the unrest.
[2] He was described in a 2018 media report as being close to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
[5][6] In August 2018, a petition was filed before the Bombay High Court seeking Bhide's arrest for his role in the Bhima Koregaon violence.
[4] Activists approached the Supreme Court of India to demand an independent probe as to why the Pune police had not arrested Bhide till date despite multi-city searches and the addition of UAPA provisions.