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Ajay Rai
Indian politician / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ajay Rai (born 7 October 1969) is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress since 2012. He is a five-time MLA from Uttar Pradesh. He is the current Uttar Pradesh Congress chief.[1]
Ajay Rai | |
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![]() Rai in 2024 | |
President of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee | |
Assumed office 17 August 2023 | |
Preceded by | Brijlal Khabri |
Member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly | |
In office 2012–2017 | |
Preceded by | constituency established |
Succeeded by | Avadhesh Singh |
Constituency | Pindra |
In office 1996–2011 | |
Preceded by | Udal |
Succeeded by | constituency dissolved |
Constituency | Kolasla |
Personal details | |
Born | (1969-10-07) 7 October 1969 (age 54) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India |
Political party | Indian National Congress (2012–present) |
Other political affiliations | Bharatiya Janata Party (1996–2009) Samajwadi Party (2009-2012) |
Spouse | Reena Rai |
Parent(s) | Surendra Rai (father) Parvati Devi Rai (mother) |
Residence(s) | Maldahiya, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India |
Alma mater | Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth |
A local strongman in the Varanasi area, Rai has changed his party affiliations several times. He began his political career as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party's student wing. He won the Legislative Assembly elections from the Kolasla constituency three times in a row between 1996 and 2007 on a BJP ticket. He left the party after being denied a Lok Sabha ticket. He then joined the Samajwadi Party and unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Subsequently, he won the 2009 Legislative Assembly by-election from the Kolasla constituency as an independent. He joined the Indian National Congress in 2012. After the Kolasla constituency ceased to exist post-delimitation, he won the 2012 Assembly elections from the newly created Pindra constituency, which comprises a sizeable portion of the former Kolasla constituency.
He was the Congress candidate for the Varanasi parliament seat in the 2014, 2019, and 2024 general elections, and lost to Narendra Modi.[2][1][3][4]