Ajay Rai, Congress candidate from Varanasi is giving PM Narendra Modi a tough fight. Let us look at his political journey briefly.

Rai is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian National Congress since 2012. He is a five-time MLA from Uttar Pradesh

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A local strongman in the Varanasi area, Rai is currently the Uttar Pradesh Congress chief. (Image: ANI)

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Rai has changed his party affiliations several times. He began his political career as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party's student wing

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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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After being denied a Lok Sabha ticket from BJP in 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Rai joined Samajwadi Party to unsuccessly contest the elections

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Subsequently, he won the 2009 Legislative Assembly by-election from the Kolasla constituency as an independent. He joined the Indian National Congress in 2012.

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