(Image source from: Congress fields Varanasi MLA Ajay Rai against Modi and Kejriwal})
Congress has finally declared Varanasi MLA Ajay Rai as its candidate against BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. The 2014 lok sabha elections news will focus on Varanasi which has BJP's Narendra Modi, along with AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal as the main contenders.
Ajay Rai is the sitting Congress MLA from the Pindra seat in Varanasi.
On Tuesday evening, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala announced Rai's name as the candidate from Varanasi. Surjewala said that Ajay Rai, a sitting Congress MLA, is the best candidate for the Varanasi seat.
Ajay Rai is connected with the grassroots in the constituency and has also successfully fought a number of elections, added Surjewala.
Following Modi's decision to contest from Varanasi, psephologist had been speculating as to who would be fielded against the BJP leader. The general speculation being that Congress would field a strong candidate as Kejriwal had already declared that he would contest against Modi from any seat in India, except a constituency in Gujarat.
For some time, the name of Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh was doing the rounds. Then Commerce Minister Anand Sharma declared that he would be happy to contest against the Gujarat chief minister.
Surjewala said that the Congress leadership was assessing whether they should field a local strongman to make the contest a tough one. Rai was the forerunner among the local leaders. And the party decided to field a grassroots leader, added Surjewala.
Rai had earlier been with the BJP. In 2009 Lok Sabha election, Rai had contested against BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi as a Samajwadi Party candidate. He lost to Joshi and came third in the contest that also had the BSP's Mukhtar Ansari. Later he contested from Varanasi's Pindra seat and became its MLA.
Varanasi goes into poll on May 12, the last in the nine phases of polling in the Lok Sabha elections 2014. Untill then the spotlight will be on Varanasi as it is the most watched in India General Elections 2014.
(AW: Pratima Tigga)
