Ajay Rai was born on 7 October 1969 and is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress since 2012.
27 Facts About Ajay Rai
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Ajay Rai began his political career as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party's student wing.
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Ajay Rai won the Legislative Assembly elections from the Kolasla constituency three times in a row between 1996 and 2007 on a BJP ticket.
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Ajay Rai left the party after being denied a Lok Sabha ticket.
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Ajay Rai then joined the Samajwadi Party and unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
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Ajay Rai was the Congress candidate for the Varanasi parliament seat in the 2014,2019, and 2024 general elections, and lost to Narendra Modi.
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Ajay Rai was born in Varanasi to Parvati Devi Rai and Surendra Rai in a Bhumihar Brahmin family who were natives of Ghazipur district.
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Ajay Rai graduated from the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith University in 1989.
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Ajay Rai began his political career as a member of the BJP's youth wing.
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Ajay Rai became an associate of Brijesh Singh, after his elder brother Awadhesh Rai was shot dead in Lahurabir area, allegedly by Mukhtar Ansari and his men in 1994.
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In 1996, Ajay Rai contested the Vidhan Sabha elections from the Kolasla seat on a BJP ticket.
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Ajay Rai defeated the nine-time CPI MLA Udal by a narrow margin of 484 votes.
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Ajay Rai went on to retain the seat in the 2002 and 2007 elections, defeating Awadhesh Singh of Bahujan Samaj Party by much larger margins.
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In 2007, Ajay Rai denied the rumours that he was planning to join the Samajwadi Party, stating that the SP was responsible for "all the ills plaguing the State".
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Ajay Rai then joined SP, and contested the elections against BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi.
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Ajay Rai lost the elections, getting the third highest number of votes after Joshi and Mukhtaar Ansari.
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Ajay Rai alleged that BSP had pressurised him to join the party, and when he refused, his security cover was reduced.
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In 2010, Ajay Rai staged a sit-in to protest the arrest of the local corporator Sanjay Singh and his associate Jitin Jha.
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Ajay Rai routed the BJP candidate, who received just 3,000 votes.
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When he contested the 2012 elections, Ajay Rai was an accused in 16 criminal cases, and was booked under the Gangster Act and Goonda Act.
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Ajay Rai was the Congress candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi.
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Ajay Rai lost to BJP's prime-ministerial nominee Narendra Modi, coming third after Arvind Kejriwal.
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On 5 October 2015, Ajay Rai was arrested for his alleged role in the violence and arson in Varanasi during a march by seers and other local leaders against police action on protesters opposing ban on immersion of Ganesha idols in the Ganga river.
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Ajay Rai was released 7 months later, when the Allahabad High Court granted him bail.
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In 2017, Ajay Rai lost Uttar Pradesh state elections from Pindra as a Congress candidate.
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In 2019, Ajay Rai lost the Lok Sabha Elections from Varanasi constituency as a Congress candidate against Narendra Modi, securing third place.
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In 2024, Ajay Rai lost the Lok Sabha Elections from Varanasi constituency as a Congress candidate against Narendra Modi, securing second place.