The political arena in India heats up as the Congress party positions its pieces on the electoral chessboard, nominating Ajay Rai to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Varanasi constituency. With previous attempts in 2014 and 2019 ending in defeats, Rai remains undeterred, confident that the current dissatisfaction among voters regarding issues like the paper leak scandal in Uttar Pradesh will tilt the scales in his favor.
A loyal son of Purvanchal, Rai criticized the Prime Minister’s unfulfilled promises of transforming Varanasi into a counterpart of Kyoto, Japan. He scrutinized the city’s stagnation, emphasizing that low-lying areas still face flood-like conditions and that basic needs and development continue to elude its residents. Rai, a former BJP member with a past in the ABVP, has anchored his campaign in the belief that the electorate will opt for a ‘local’ over an ‘outsider.’ He promises to prioritize the youth’s future, pledging ‘yuva nyay’—justice for the youth—with plans to fill government vacancies and instate rigorous measures against examination malpractices.
In a parallel move, the Congress is sending Prahlad Gunjal into the fray against the incumbent Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for the Kota constituency. Gunjal, who recently joined Congress, brings his vocal leadership and potential Hadoti region influence to fortify the party’s presence. Alongside, names like Ramchandra Choudhary, Sudarshan Rawat, Damodar Gurjar, and C Robert Bruce emerge as the Congress unveils more candidates for the nation-spanning electoral battle set to unravel in seven phases starting April 19, with results anticipated on June 4.