Panchra Voters Seen as Extended Kin by Aj Ajay Rai Ahead of Assembly Polls

Ajay Rai, a senior figure in the Congress party and former state president, marked his election launch on 17 October with a ritual at Panchra’s Nakteshwari Devi temple. He announced his run for the assembly seat and underscored a thirty‑year link with the local community, stating that the constituency is as dear to him as his own family. According to Rai, the people of Panchra will be the ones actually contesting the election, with him merely playing the role of a family member. He stressed that every initiative begins with the goddess’s blessing, a practice he followed during Navratri. The leader also criticized the chief minister’s comment on “mafia rule,” alleging that similar elements have infiltrated the rival party.