PoliticianIndian

Ajay Rai

Indian Politician, Former MLA, Former Uttar Pradesh Congress President

Age57 Years Old

Birth DateOctober 6, 1969

Net Worth₹2,65,22,683

StatusMarried

Official:

Biography & Overview

Ajay Rai (born 7 October 1969) is an Indian politician associated with the Indian National Congress and a former five-time Member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Born in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, he began his electoral career with the Bharatiya Janata Party and represented the Kolasla Assembly constituency before moving to the Samajwadi Party and later the Congress. Rai won Assembly elections in 1996, 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2012. He also contested the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency against Narendra Modi in 2014, 2019 and 2024. In August 2023, he was appointed president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, a position he held until October 2026. Known for his long association with Varanasi and the Pindra constituency, Rai has remained active in Uttar Pradesh politics through electoral contests, party organisation and public campaigns. His political career has included membership in multiple parties, legislative responsibilities and several high-profile parliamentary elections.165 cm (5 ft 5 in)

Known For:

Five-time Uttar Pradesh MLA; former president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee; Congress candidate against Narendra Modi in the 2014, 2019 and 2024 Varanasi Lok Sabha elections.

Personal Information

Full Name: Ajay Rai
Birthplace: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Date of Birth: October 6, 1969
Religion: Hinduism
Caste / Ethnicity: Bhumihar Brahmin
Hobbies: Social work, sports, reading novels, watching television serials

Physical Statistics

Height: 165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight: 80 kg
Eye Color: Black

Education & Qualifications

Highest Degree

Graduate

Colleges / Universities

Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith

Graduation

Varanasi

– 1989

Family & Relationships

Father: Late Surendra Rai
Spouse / Partner: Reena Rai

Career Milestones & Awards

Career Debut

1996 — Ajay Rai began his elected political career in 1996 when he won the Kolasla Assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. He was re-elected from Kolasla in 2002 and 2007, establishing a long association with electoral politics in the Varanasi region. His subsequent career included a 2009 Assembly by-election victory, a 2012 victory from Pindra, multiple Lok Sabha campaigns and leadership of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee from 2023 to 2026.

Notable Works & Projects

UP Congress Leadership Transition

2026

Completed his tenure as state Congress president in October 2026

Varanasi Lok Sabha Election

2024

Received 460,457 votes, finishing second to Narendra Modi

Uttar Pradesh Congress President

2023

Appointed UPCC president in August 2023

Varanasi Lok Sabha Election

2019

Contested the parliamentary election on a Congress ticket

Varanasi Lok Sabha Election

2014

Contested against Narendra Modi and other candidates

Pindra Assembly Victory

2012

Won the Pindra constituency as a Congress candidate

Varanasi Lok Sabha Campaign

2009

Contested the parliamentary election as a Samajwadi Party candidate

Kolasla Assembly By-election

2009

Won the Assembly by-election as an independent candidate

Third Kolasla Victory

2007

Won another Assembly election representing Kolasla

Kolasla Assembly Re-election

2002

Re-elected from Kolasla

First Assembly Election Victory

1996

Elected MLA from Kolasla on a BJP ticket

Lesser-Known Facts & Trivia

1Ajay Rai was born on 7 October 1969 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
2His father's name was Surendra Rai.
3He graduated from Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith in Varanasi in 1989.
4Before joining Congress, Rai was associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party.
5His early political activities included an association with the RSS and ABVP, according to published political profiles.
6He first won an Uttar Pradesh Assembly election from Kolasla in 1996.
7He retained the Kolasla Assembly seat in 2002 and 2007 on BJP tickets.
8He retained the Kolasla Assembly seat in 2002 and 2007 on BJP tickets.
9He contested the 2009 Varanasi Lok Sabha election as a Samajwadi Party candidate.
10He won the 2009 Kolasla Assembly by-election as an independent candidate.
11He joined the Indian National Congress in 2012.
12He won the newly formed Pindra Assembly constituency in 2012.
13He contested the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency against Narendra Modi in 2014, 2019 and 2024.
14He became president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee in August 2023.
15He was succeeded as Uttar Pradesh Congress president by Aradhana Misra in October 2026.
16He received 460,457 votes in the 2024 Varanasi Lok Sabha election, finishing second.
17His wife is Reena Rai, and official legislative records list two sons and two daughters.
18His official legislative profile lists social work, sports, reading novels and watching television serials among his interests.
19His elder brother, Awadhesh Rai, was murdered in Varanasi in 1991. Ajay Rai was the complainant and a witness in the case.
20In 2023, a Varanasi court convicted Mukhtar Ansari in the Awadhesh Rai murder case and sentenced him to life imprisonment.