Ajay Rai
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.
Ajay Rai | |
|---|---|
| President of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee | |
| Assumed office 17 August 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Brijlal Khabri |
| MLA | |
| In office 2012–2017 | |
| Preceded by | New Seat |
| Succeeded by | Avadhesh Singh |
| Constituency | Pindra |
| In office 1996–2011 | |
| Preceded by | Udal |
| Succeeded by | dissolved |
| Constituency | Kolasla |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 October 1969 Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| 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 and Parvati devi Rai |
| Residence | Varanasi |
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 and 2019 general elections, and lost to Narendra Modi.