Lok sabha polls 2014: Quami Ekta Dal backs Congress' Ajai Rai in Varanasi

VARANASI: Quami Ekta Dal, led by Afzal Ansari, today announced its support for Congress party candidate from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat with an aim to defeat BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi contesting from here.

Afzal Ansari said the Congress national leadership had approached him seeking his party's support to its candidate Ajay Rai.

"After a discussion among party workers, Quami Ekta Dal (QED) today decided to lend its full support to Ajay Rai in order to defeat Narendra Modi," he said.

Ansari told reporters here that he had a meeting with senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today in the city.

Asked which Congress leader had approached him for support for Rai, Ansari said "you can assume the name of Congress leader Digvijay Singh for approaching him".

Ansari said the Congress candidate is from the city and Modi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal are "outsiders". Besides, Rai has been an MLA for 4 terms and has a strong hold on voters in the city, he added.

"From today onwards, all leaders and workers of QED will campaign for Rai in five assembly segments falling in Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in the same way they had campaigned for Mukhtar Ansari in 2009 Lok Sabha elections," said Ansari.

Afzal Ansari's younger brother Mukhtar Ansari had contested the last Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi seat on BSP ticket and lost by nearly 17,000 votes against sitting BJP MP Murli Manohar Joshi.