New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Varun Gandhi on Sunday said that he has tested positive for the Covid infection and that he was experiencing ‘fairly strong’ symptoms.
Taking to Twitter, the BJP MP from Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency said that he was in his parliamentary constituency for the last three days when tested positive and also expressed concern over the relentless surge in Covid cases when the Assembly elections in five states are just round the corner.
The BJP MP also urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend precautionary vaccine doses to the poll candidates and political workers.
Varun Gandhi is not the first political leader to have contracted the virus amid the ongoing third Covid wave. Earlier this month, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had tested Covid positive during his election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab.
Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that they had tested Covid positive earlier this week. Pawar and Rai added that they are isolating themselves and requested those who came in contact with them to get themselves tested. Gujarat’s Minister of State for Narmada, Kalpasar and Fisheries, Jitubhai Chaudhari also tested positive for the virus for the second time in nine months.
Meanwhile, the poll bugle was officially sounded with the ECI announcing the election dates for Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, on Saturday.
Assembly polls in all the five states will be completed in total seven phases with Uttar Pradesh having seven-phase polling from February 10 till March 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
As mandated by the Election Commission of India, some of the Covid protocols that are to be followed at the polling booths include mandatory sanitization of the polling stations, thermal screening at entry points, pointers to mark social distancing at queue, face masks in reserves for those electors who do not carry a mask, hand gloves for the voters, sanitisers at the polling booths, among others.
In view of the spike in Covid cases, the Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra also announced a ban on roadshows and rallies till January 15.
Meanwhile, India on Sunday logged 1,59,632 fresh Covid-19 cases and 327 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the government data. The daily positivity rate jumped to 10.21% and the active caseload stood at 5,90,611.