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Congress fields Ajai Rai from Varanasi
New Delhi, Apr 8 (IBNS): Ending long speculations, the Congress party on Tuesday announced that local MLA Ajai Rai will be its candidate from the Varanasi constituency in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha election.
Rai will take on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongman and PM candidate Narendra Modi as well as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal.
Announcing Rai's candidacy, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "Ajai Rai is connected with grassroots, has fought a number of elections successfully. He is currently a sitting Congress MLA and is, in the party's opinion, the best candidate in Varanasi."
"The party has taken a comprehensive view and chosen a grassroot leader," Surjewala said.
Rai is a former BJP man, who had contested the Lok Sabha election in 2009 as a Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate against the BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi.
He later contested the UP elections as a Congress candidate and is the sitting MLA in Varanasi.
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