HC stays ex-BJP leader’s conviction in murder case as he wishes to contest UP polls. Allahabad High Court has stayed the conviction and life sentence of ex-BJP leader Nandlal Rai in a 2017 murder case in Varanasi. Rai sought bail and stay on his conviction, stating that he wished to contest the upcoming UP Assembly election as a ruling party candidate or an independent. Rai and his co-accused were convicted by Varanasi court in 2025.