Congress banks on Ajay Rai again in Varanasi against PM Modi; All you need to know about Ajay Rai
The Congress party unveiled its latest roster of 46 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, marking another significant development in its election preparations.
Among the prominent names announced by the party, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has been nominated to contest from the Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency. Additionally, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai has been fielded as the party's candidate from Varanasi, where he will face Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ajay Rai, a seasoned politician with a strong local influence in the Varanasi region, boasts a political career marked by various party affiliations. Beginning his journey as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party's student wing, Rai has navigated through different political alignments over the years. Notably, he secured victory in the Legislative Assembly elections from the Kolasla constituency on three consecutive occasions between 1996 and 2007 under the BJP banner.
However, Rai's departure from the BJP stemmed from being denied a Lok Sabha ticket, leading him to join the Samajwadi Party where he contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections unsuccessfully.
Subsequently, Rai tasted success in the 2009 Legislative Assembly by-election from the Kolasla constituency as an independent candidate. In 2012, he aligned himself with the Indian National Congress, winning the Assembly elections from the newly formed Pindra constituency, which incorporated a significant portion of the erstwhile Kolasla constituency.
Rai's electoral journey also includes his candidature for the Varanasi parliamentary seat in both the 2014 and 2019 general elections, where he faced defeat against Narendra Modi.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
