Arch-rivals Ansari, Rai sink differences to take on Modi - Times of India

VARANASI: Case No- 229/91 under sections 147, 148, 149 and 302 of IPC would have been just one of the several cases of murder registered with Chetganj police station had it not been for the key protagonists. The victim in the sensational murder case was Awadhesh Rai, elder brother of Congress candidate for Varanasi seat, and the principal accused , don-turned politician who retired from the fray in order to facilitate a "secular" front against Narendra Modi.

The murder which is still discussed in the city, in fact across eastern UP, triggered a bloody feud between Rais and Ansari clan: a rivalry which has resulted in several hits from sides and led to more deaths, including that of former BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai. It was the loss of elder brother and the seething desire for revenge which which was said to have led Rai to enter join BJP and enter politics.

By a strange quirk of circumstances, the sworn adversaries have come close to be on the same side in the battle for Varanasi: a turn which can change the dynamics of group rivalries in the region by bringing the rival poles together. While people guessed what could have led Ansari to pull out of the fight and AAP claimed that the don withdraw in Kejriwal's favour, indications pointed that Rai's entry into the arena and Ansari's pullout could not be completely unrelated.

Mukhtar's about turn followed Congress preferring to field a "local" and picking Rai for the fight against Modi. His elder brother Afzal Ansari who had earlier said that his sibling would stay put in the arena changed his tune saying that they were ready to support a joint 'secular" candidate against Modi.

Rai certainly is not averse to grabbing the hand of friendship if held out by Ansaris. In an interview to TOI a day after his nomination Rai had said, "If he (Mukhtar) really thinks about national interest and well being of minority community he should not jump into the fray", said the Congress candidate.

There are reasons why those who have worked on Mukhtar to leave the ring, would like him to support Rai. The Pindra MLA who left BJP after being passed over for the ticket for Varanasi, has pockets of influence in the region and is, at least at this point in time, stronger than Kailash Chaurasia and Vijay Jayaswal, candidates of SP and BSP respectively. Being an upper caste Bhumihar, a community which has a sizable presence in the constituency, he is also expected to appeal to Brahmins.

Kejriwal certainly has a bigger profile. But that Rai, unlike the AAP leader, is a local may suit those who plan to complicate things for Modi by branding him an "outsider".

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