The party whose candidate has won here for the past 20 years forms the government in the state. Although Hawa Mahal is considered a stronghold for the BJP, the region is predominantly Muslim. About 34.7% of the population here is Muslim, but the seat has been consistently won by Brahmin candidates, with Vijayshri always being a Brahmin contender. This time, the competition is intense between the Congress and the BJP, both fielding Brahmin candidates.
In the 2008 and 2018 elections, Congress won this seat with a narrow margin. In the current election, Congress candidate R.R. Tiwari faces challenges to secure a victory. In 2008, Congress candidate Brij Kishor Sharma defeated BJP’s Manju Sharma by a mere 580 votes, while in 2018, Congress’s Mahesh Sharma defeated BJP’s Surendra Pareek by 9,282 votes. This time, the BJP has nominated Bal Mukund Acharya, the head priest of the Balaji Hathoj Dham, known for his activism in the defense of Hinduism. Recently, he gained attention in the media for his stance on the damaged idol of an ancient temple in Parikote. The BJP is playing the Hindu card to consolidate votes.
Muslim votes will be divided into five parts:
Congress has created dissatisfaction among the supporters of Mahesh Joshi, the current MLA from Hawa Mahal, by not repeating him. Pappu Qureshi, a Muslim leader from Khema, who got a ticket from the Aam Aadmi Party, poses a challenge for Congress. Jamil Ahmed Khan is contesting on the ticket of the AIMIM. Firozuddin is contesting on the ticket of the Welfare Party of India. In addition, independent candidate Yakub Khan is also in the field. This time, Muslim votes are likely to be divided into five segments. In the last election, there were eight Muslim candidates, all successful in securing more than 4100 votes each. A similar scenario is expected this time, which could affect Congress’s R.R. Tiwari negatively.
Bhanwar Lal Sharma’s record stands:
Bhanwar Lal Sharma won the Hawa Mahal seat in the 1977 elections on the Janata Party ticket. He continued to win this seat for the BJP in the 1980, 1985, 1990, 1993, and 1998 elections. For a total of 27 years, he remained the uncontested MLA from this constituency. In 2003, the BJP fielded Surendra Pareek, who emerged victorious. In 2008, Brij Kishor Sharma finally broke the BJP’s dominance. It’s noteworthy that he won by only 580 votes. In 2013, the BJP again nominated Surendra Pareek, who defeated Brij Kishor Sharma by 12,715 votes, bringing the constituency back into the BJP’s fold. In 2018, Mahesh Joshi defeated Surendra Pareek, securing his political prominence.
