Ajay Rai Age, Caste, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Politician
Politics
Political Party	• Bharatiya Janata Party (1996-2009) • Samajwadi Party (2009) • Indian National Congress (2012-Present)
Political Journey	• Started his career by joining the Youth Wing of the BJP • In 1996, he was included in the BJP and contested the 1996 Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections from the now dissolved Kolasla Constituency • He won the elections 3 times in a row from 1996 to 2009 • In 2009, he wanted to contest the Lok Sabha Elections from the Varanasi Constituency, but the BJP denied him a ticket and named Murli Manohar Joshi as the BJP's candidate from Varanasi • He left the BJP in 2009 and joined Samajwadi Party (SP) • SP named him as their Lok Sabha candidate from Varanasi, but he lost • In 2009, he quit the Samajwadi Party and contested the Assembly Elections from Varanasi as an Independent Candidate and won • In 2012, he joined the Indian National Congress (INC) • Ajay Rai contested the Assembly Elections of 2012 from the newly formed Pindra Constituency • For the 2014 General Elections, Congress announced Ajay Rai's name as their Lok Sabha candidate against Narendra Modi • Ajay Rai lost badly in the 2014 General Elections to Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal, as Rai only got 75,000 votes • In 2017, he lost the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections from the Pindra Constituency as the Congress Candidate • For the 2019 General Elections, Congress again announced Ajay Rai as their Lok Sabha candidate from Varanasi • He was appointed as the President of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) on 17 August 2023, replacing the former member of Rajya Sabha Brijlal Khabri. • He lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Varanasi to Narendra Modi by a margin of 1,52,513 votes.
Personal Life
Date of Birth	19 October 1969
Age (as of 2023)	54 Years
Birthplace	Varanasi
Zodiac sign	Libra
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Varanasi
College/University	Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Educational Qualification	Graduate
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Bhumihar Community
Address	House No. 21/94, Pishach Mochan, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Controversies	• In 1991, the Deputy Mayor of Varanasi filed an FIR against accusing that Ajay Rai, along with others, fired at his jeep in the cantonment area on 20 August 1991. • In May 2014, on the complaint of BJP and AAP, a case was registered against Rai under Section 130 of the Representation of Peoples Act; as he had flagged the Congress Party Symbol inside a polling booth in Varanasi. • On 6 October 2015, police had arrested more than 100 people along with Ajay Rai for their alleged role in the violence and arson in Varanasi, which happened on 5 October 2015; during a march held by local leaders for opposing the ban on immersion of Ganesha idols in the Ganga river. He was released seven months later on bail.
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Wife/Spouse	Reena Rai
Children	Son- Shantanu Rai Daughter- 2 • Shraddha Rai (Elder) • Aastha Rai (Younger)
Parents	Father- Surendra Rai Mother- Parvati Devi Rai
Siblings	Brother- Awadesh Rai (Deceased) Sister- None
Style Quotient
Car Collection	Tata Safari (1998 model)
Assets/Properties	Movable: Rs. 25.43 Lacs Cash: Rs. 1.15 Lacs Bank Deposits: Rs. 36,000 LIC Policies: Rs. 21 Lacs Jewellery: 1 Diamond ring worth Rs. 1.5 Lakhs and 1 Panna Ring worth Rs. 60,000 Immovable: Rs. 25 Lacs 1 Residential Building worth Rs. 25 Lacs 1 Agricultural Land (Inherited): Value Not Known
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)	Rs. 1.11 Crores (as in 2017)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ajay Rai

• Ajay Rai is an Indian politician, who was an MLA from the Pindra Constituency (previously known as Kolasala; before delimitation) of Varanasi for 5 times. He started off his career with the BJP, then he shifted to SP and now he is in the Indian National Congress. He was the Congress candidate for the 2014 and the 2019 General Elections from the Varanasi Constituency against Narendra Modi.

• When he contested his first election as a BJP candidate in the 1996 Assembly Elections, he had defeated the 9-time CPI MLA, Udal, from the Kolasala Constituency of Varanasi. It made him instantly famous and also projected him as a strong leader.

• He quit the BJP and joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) in 2009; as he was not given a ticket from the Varanasi Lok Sabha Constituency by the BJP; as they fielded Murli Manohar Joshi from that seat. Annoyed by this move, Rai joined the SP and fought the 2009 General Elections on an SP ticket but lost.

• In 2009, the Samajwadi Party did not give him a ticket for the Assembly Elections; hence he quit the SP and contested the elections as an Independent candidate and won.

• In 2012, he joined the Indian National Congress (INC).
  

  Ajay Rai With Rahul Gandhi

• For the 2014 General Elections, the Congress named him as their candidate from the Varanasi Constituency against Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal.

• On 17 April 2014, Ajay Rai was accompanied by the former Union Minister of Commerce Anand Sharma and Raj Babbar during the nomination filing process for the Lok Sabha Elections. Ajay Rai filed his nomination after offering liquor to Lord Kaal Bhairav; a local tradition of Varanasi.
  

  Ajay Rai With Raj Babbar And Anand Sharma

• He lost badly in the 2014 General Elections, securing third place with only 75,000 votes.

• In 2015, Ajay Rai was arrested for allegedly trying to set a trader on fire. A case was registered against him and he was taken into custody by the police. Although later he was set free as there was no conclusive evidence against him.
  

  Ajay Rai Being Arrested

• In 2017, he lost the UP Assembly Election to BJP’s Avdhesh Singh. This was a setback for him as Ajay was the MLA from the Pindra Constituency for 5 times.

• In 2019, the Congress once again announced his name as the party’s candidate for the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections from the Varanasi Constituency, against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

उतर प्रदेश की दो सीटों के लिये लोकसभा प्रत्याशियों की घोषणा:

गोरखपुर से श्री मधुसूदन तिवारी, वाराणसी से श्री अजय राय (@kashikirai) को लोकसभा प्रत्याशी घोषित किया गया।

सभी प्रत्याशियों को मंगलकामनाएँ। pic.twitter.com/lzkfEo6dpQ

— UP Congress (@INCUttarPradesh) April 25, 2019

• Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi extensively campaigned for Ajay Rai for the 2019 General Elections.
  

  Rahul Gandhi Campaigning For Ajay Rai