Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday announced that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
“I have been working every single day since the lockdown but now it seems that God wants me to stop for a while and take a break,” the Bharatiya Janata Party leader tweeted. “I have tested #COVID19 positive and in isolation. Taking all medication & treatment as per the advice of the doctors.”
He is currently the BJP’s in-charge of the Bihar Assembly elections. Voting for the Bihar polls will be held in three phases – the first on October 28, second on November 3 and the third on November 7. The results will be announced on November 10. This will be the first election to take place in the country amid the coronavirus crisis.
Several Union ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah, had earlier tested positive for the coronavirus. So had Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and his Health Minister B Sriramulu, Forest Minister Anand Singh, Tourism Minister CT Ravi and Agriculture Minister BC Patil. Congress leader Siddaramaiah had also tested positive.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyendar Jain had also earlier been found infected. The list includes Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, as well as Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.
India’s coronavirus case count on Saturday rose to 78,14,682 after 53,370 new infections were reported in 24 hours. The country’s toll went up by 650 to 1,17,956. There are 6,80,680 active cases, and 70,16,046 recoveries in the country.
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