Who is Ajay Rai, the Congress leader pitted against PM Modi in Varanasi?

So, who is Ajay Rai?

His career began as a ‘karyakarta’ of the Hindu nationalist outfit Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), following which he was made the convener of BJP’s student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), reported livemint.

A five-time MLA, Rai went on to be elected to the UP Assembly three times on a BJP ticket — in 1996, 2002 and 2007 from the Kolasla seat in Varanasi.

His departure from the saffron camp came after he was denied Lok Sabha ticket in 2009. Rai had hoped to contest the election from Varanasi, however, with senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi getting the ticket, he resigned from the party. Rai then contested from Varanasi on a Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket, but lost.

Rai entered the Congress in 2012, and made his mark by winning the newly-formed Pindra seat in Varanasi. He was first pitted against the PM in 2014, when Modi picked Varanasi as his constituency for the first time.

In that election, when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s chief Arvind Kejriwal also took the plunge to contest against Modi, Rai finished third behind Kejriwal.

Even after failing to win Lok Sabha and Assembly polling contests, Rai continued to hold significant organisational responsibilities in the Congress.

The Congress leader has long had a strongman image and was booked in several criminal cases, including violence, arson and sexual harassment, over the years. He was also said to be associated with gangster-turned-politician Brijesh Singh.