Aspiring to be a 'giant killer', Congress
leader Ajay Rai says his record is better than BJP's Prime Ministerial
candidate Narendra Modi in the electoral arena as he has won five
straight assembly polls as against just three won so far by the Gujarat
Chief Minister. Modi, in his third term as Gujarat chief minister, is
contesting his first Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi and Vadodara in
Gujarat. Rai, a Congress MLA here, has also been a BJP member in the
past. He had lost the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 when he had fought as a
Samajwadi Party candidate. Exuding confidence about defeating Modi and
others in the fray, including Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal,
he said he would eventually emerge as a "giant killer" as people of
Varanasi want someone from among them to get elected and work for their
welfare. "I think Modi has been an MLA for three terms while I have
been an MLA for five straight terms, including a byelection. This way, I
am in fact senior to Modi by two terms when it comes to electoral
politics," Rai told PTI in an interview. Rai, who has been in active
politics for over 18 years in the Varanasi area, also rejected any "Modi
wave" here. "There is no such (Modi) wave. Had there been a Modi wave,
BJP would not have tied up with Apna Dal (a regional party with a
strong backward caste base). You win all seats on your own in a wave.
The tie-up with Apna Dal itself proves there is no wave," he said. BJP
has entered into an electoral alliance with Apna Dal, which is said to
have a strong presence in the Purvanchal region, which includes Varanasi
and adjoining areas.
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