As the dust settles on the 2024 elections, anticipation grips the nation awaiting the outcome. With campaigns marked by fervor and debates that captured the essence of democracy, voters have cast their ballots, shaping the future trajectory of the country. Now, eyes turn towards the awaited results. Let’s take a look at a candidate who stood straight in competition with the Prime Minister of India from the Varanasi Parliamentary Constituency.
Ajay Rai ,born October 7, 1969 is an Indian politician who has been a member of the Indian National Congress since 2012. He is a five-time MLA from Uttar Pradesh and currently serves as the Uttar Pradesh Congress chief.
Ajay Rai was born in Varanasi to Parvati Devi Rai and Surendra Rai, members of a Bhumihar family originally from the Ghazipur district. He graduated from Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith University in 1989.
He began his political career with the student wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Rai won the Legislative Assembly elections from the Kolasla constituency three consecutive times between 1996 and 2007 on a BJP ticket.
He then joined the Samajwadi Party and contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, but was unsuccessful. Subsequently, he won the 2009 Legislative Assembly by-election from the Kolasla constituency as an independent candidate. In 2012, he joined the Indian National Congress.
After the Kolasla constituency ceased to exist post-delimitation, he won the 2012 Assembly elections from the newly created Pindra constituency, which includes a significant portion of the former Kolasla constituency. He was the Congress candidate for the Varanasi parliamentary seat in the 2014 and 2019 general elections.
Varanasi (also known as Benares, Banaras, or Kashi) is a Lok Sabha (Parliamentary) constituency in Uttar Pradesh. It is situated in the northern region of India and is part of the Poorvanchal region within Uttar Pradesh.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha general elections, Narendra Modi of the BJP won this seat, defeating Shalini Yadav of the SP by a margin of 479,505 votes, which accounted for 45.22% of the total votes cast. The BJP secured a vote share of 63.6% in 2019. In 2014, Narendra Modi of the BJP emerged victorious in this seat, beating Arvind Kejriwal of the AAP by a margin of 371,784 votes, representing 36.07% of the total votes polled in the constituency. The BJP’s vote share was 56.37%.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Murli Manohar Joshi of the BJP won this seat, defeating Mukhtar Ansari of the BSP by a margin of 17,211 votes, which was 2.59% of the total votes polled. The BJP had a vote share of 30.52% in the constituency.
In electoral contests held in the preceding year, Rai, a five-time MLA known for his strongman image, represented the Congress against the Prime Minister in both the 2014 and 2019 polls. Despite Rai’s significant stature, he was unable to prevail over Modi’s widespread popularity, receiving 75,614 and 152,548 votes, respectively.
As the nation eagerly awaits the outcome of the 2024 elections, Ajay Rai’s formidable presence in Varanasi’s political arena stands out. Despite his strongman image, Rai has faced formidable challenges against the Prime Minister in previous polls. Now, all eyes turn to the awaited results, shaping the country’s future.
ALSO READ: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Smriti Irani – All You Need To Know
