Lucknow: Former UP Congress president Ajay Rai on Friday hit back at defence minister Rajnath Singh for questioning Rahul Gandhi’s Rae Bareli victory.“Rajnath Singh should answer questions raised over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s victory in Kashi before questioning Rahul Gandhi’s mandate,” he said. Rai accused the BJP of double standards, saying it contested elections with allies but questioned opposition parties for doing the same. He cited the BJP’s partnerships with Apna Dal (S), RLD, SBSP and Nishad Party in UP.Rai said Modi won Varanasi by around 1.52 lakh votes in 2024, despite earlier claims of a much bigger margin. He demanded the release of round-wise counting records and an impartial review of election-related complaints.He also challenged Modi to contest Varanasi in 2029 without alliance partners, saying voters would decide the outcome.
