MP Polls: Brothers Turn Opponents in Hoshangabad, Term it 'Ideological Fight'

Bhopal: In Madhya Pradesh's Hoshangabad Assembly seat, two brothers are locking horns in the upcoming elections from rival parties after their powerful family held power in the seat for three decades. They are contesting against each other from the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The two septuagenarian brothers -- Girija Shankar Sharma, a Congress candidate and two-time ex-MLA of the BJP, and his younger brother Sitasaran Sharma, an incumbent BJP MLA -- are in the poll fray from the Hoshangabad Assembly seat. They belong to an influential Sharma family of Hoshangabad, and their elder brother, KS Sharma, served as the chief secretary of the state.

Since the family holds hundreds of acres of ancestral lands, with bureaucratic and political power, the family's influence grew over the years. It succeeded in keeping the seat since 1990. 

The caste equation of the area also favoured the Sharma family. The Hoshangabad Assembly seat, which has over 2.15 lakh voters, is dominated by Brahmans, followed by 45,000 Kurmi voters. Both the communities are staunch supporters of the BJP. The SC/ST and Minority voters amount to over 60,000 but could not dent the Sharma family.

Girija Shanker, a two-time BJP MLA from Hoshangabad, won its last election in 2008 with close to 25000 vote margin. Yet, the BJP replaced him with his younger brother Dr. Sitashran Sharma in the next election who won with 49, 296 votes -- double the margin that of his brother. He was appointed speaker of the house between 2013-20018.

Served as district president of the BJP for over a decade, when Girija Shanker was dropped without an explanation, yet, he remained loyal to the party.

In 2018, a crack emerged between the brothers after the BJP again fielded Sitasaran as its candidate from Hoshangabad. An enraged Girija Shankar resigned from the party but later returned to the fold with an assurance of being given an important role in the government. However, the party lost the polls with a close shave, leaving Girija Shankar in a tight spot.

In 2020, when the BJP wrested power by toppling a 15-month-old Congress government, the party never looked back at Girija Shankar, leaving him in a lurch.

When the BJP faced an exodus of party leaders in June this year, a rumour gripped Hoshangabad that the party would not give tickets to the Sharma family as two young contenders were demanding tickets. "There were strong rumours that none from the Sharma family would be given tickets as they are above 70 years of age, and some new faces should be given a chance this time. The party was also discussing the name of Bhagwati Choure, a BJP leader who belongs to the Kurmi community -- second largest community in the seat," said Shakil, a senior journalist close to the family. "But Girija Shankar's move turned the table," he added.

It's then that Girija Shankar resigned from the party and joined the Congress almost two months later, putting a condition before the party leadership. The condition was that if BJP gave ticket to his brother Sitasharan Sharma, Girija Shankar would neither contest against him nor campaign for the Congress in the district.

The party agreed to his terms as it did not have as strong a candidate as Girija Shankar.

On October 20, the Congress declared Girija Shankar as its candidate for the seat. Two days later, the BJP announced Sitasharan's candidature for the seat. 

"The BJP sensed that to trounce Girija Shanker, Sitashran is the best option," a local BJP leader told NewsClick.

After the ticket, when the media questioned Girija Shankar over his previous condition, he said, "Although I told that I would not contest if the BJP fields Sitasharan first, since my candidature was declared before him, I will not betray the trust of Congress leaders' and will contest against him."

"A clash of ideologies, not brothers," they were heard saying in public meetings, while avoiding commenting against each other.

On one hand, Girija Shankar is attacking the BJP on issues of corruption, unemployment, poor state of schools and health infrastructures in the district to corner his brother. On the other hand, Sitasharan is attacking the Congress over religion, Ram Temple and making Madhya Pradesh a 'Bimaru' state.

Last week, when Girija Shankar met Ramesh Bamne, a Congress leader from the district and one of the critics of the Sharma family, it created a buzz in the region. "When Ramesh tried to raise his voice against the Sharma family, several cases were filed against him," said a party insider. "Thus, when Girija Shankar went to meet him, it created a lot of buzz in the town."

When the media questioned Congress candidate Girija Shankar about the meeting, he replied, "I am a Congress candidate. Why should I not meet my party men?"

On the other hand, Sitasharan is giving a wide berth to the media and questions related to his elder brother. "I will not make any comment either personal or about his meeting with Ramesh till the election," he told reporters when questioned.

The election in Hoshangabad will be like any other. Both candidates are trying to make it an ideological fight rather than a personal rivalry.

Apart from the Sharma brother, Bhagwati Choure, a senior, rebel BJP leader from the district and belonging to Kurmi voters, is also in the poll fray, giving a tough challenge to the brothers. Choure is among the 35 BJP leaders suspended by the disciplinary committee for anti-party activity.