diff --git a/static/js/emoji_picker.js b/static/js/emoji_picker.js
index f9da3a5211..d514d11022 100644
--- a/static/js/emoji_picker.js
+++ b/static/js/emoji_picker.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ var current_index = 0;
 var search_is_active = false;
 var search_results = [];
 var section_head_offsets = [];
+var edit_message_id = null;
 
 function get_all_emoji_categories() {
     return [
@@ -644,14 +645,34 @@ exports.register_click_handlers = function () {
     $(document).on('click', '.emoji-popover-emoji.composition', function (e) {
         var emoji_name = $(this).data("emoji-name");
         var emoji_text = ':' + emoji_name + ':';
-        compose_ui.insert_syntax_and_focus(emoji_text);
+        // The following check will return false if emoji was not selected in
+        // message edit form.
+        if (edit_message_id !== null) {
+            var edit_message_textarea = $("#message_edit_content_" + edit_message_id);
+            // Assign null to edit_message_id so that the selection of emoji in new
+            // message composition form works correctly.
+            edit_message_id = null;
+            compose_ui.insert_syntax_and_focus(emoji_text, edit_message_textarea);
+        } else {
+            compose_ui.insert_syntax_and_focus(emoji_text);
+        }
         e.stopPropagation();
         emoji_picker.hide_emoji_popover();
     });
 
-    $("#compose").on("click", "#emoji_map", function (e) {
+    $("body").on("click", "#emoji_map", function (e) {
         e.preventDefault();
         e.stopPropagation();
+        // The data-message-id atribute is only present in the emoji icon present in
+        // the message edit form. So the following check will return false if this
+        // event was not fired from message edit form.
+        if ($(this).attr("data-message-id") !== undefined) {
+            // Store data-message-id value in global variable edit_message_id so that
+            // its value can be further used to correclty find the message textarea element.
+            edit_message_id = $(this).attr("data-message-id");
+        } else {
+            edit_message_id = null;
+        }
         emoji_picker.toggle_emoji_popover(this);
     });
 
diff --git a/static/templates/message_edit_form.handlebars b/static/templates/message_edit_form.handlebars
index 71ab604456..b33fb8f215 100644
--- a/static/templates/message_edit_form.handlebars
+++ b/static/templates/message_edit_form.handlebars
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
                 <input type="file" id="message_edit_file_input_{{message_id}}" class="notvisible pull-left" multiple />
                 <a class="message-control-button fa fa-font" aria-hidden="true" title="{{t 'Formatting' }}" data-overlay-trigger="message-formatting" ></a>
                 <a class="message-control-button fa fa-paperclip notdisplayed" aria-hidden="true" id="attach_files_{{message_id}}" href="#" title="{{t "Attach files" }}"></a>
+                <a class="message-control-button fa fa-smile-o" aria-hidden="true" id="emoji_map" href="#" data-message-id="{{message_id}}" title="{{t 'Add emoji'  }}"></a>
             </div>
             <div class="message-edit-timer-control-group">
                 <span class="message_edit_countdown_timer"></span>