Quami Ekta Dal backs Congress candidate in Varanasi

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

Mukhtar Ansari was later expelled from the BSP and subsequently formed the Quami Ekta Dal with his brother Afzal Ansari as its chief.

Mukhtar is lodged in Agra jail in the BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai murder case and is contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Ghosi in the Mau district of UP.

Ajay Rai and Mukhtar Ansari have an old rivalry and it is alleged that Mukhtar was involved in the conspiracy relating to the murder of Ajay Rai's elder brother Awadhesh Rai in the city more than a decade ago.

Afzal Ansari said that despite old enmity with Rai, the holy city Varanasi is "more important" to him and that is why he had decided to forget his enmity with Rai and is focused on defeating Modi from Varanasi and stopping him from becoming PM.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh did not find anything wrong in Quami Ekta Dal announcing its support to Congress candidate Ajai Rai in Varanasi against Modi.

He said there is no criminal case against Afzal Ansari who has announced his support. "Is the entire party criminal? Mukhtar Ansari is accused in cases and is already in jail and there is no case against Afzal Ansari", he said