MUMBAI: Senior Congress leader and party spokesperson Sanjay Jha on Friday surprised everyone with the announcement of him being tested positive for coronavirus.
"I have tested positive for Covid-19 . As I am asymptomatic I am in home quarantine for the next 10-12 days. Please don't underestimate transmission risks, we are all vulnerable. Do take care all," he said in a tweet.
Jha resides in Mumbai and is seen prominently on television debates.
The announcement by the Congress leader comes on a day India reported its largest single-day spike in fresh coronavirus cases, with 6,088 new cases and 148 deaths being reported in the last 24 hours. The country's current COVID-19 count stands at 1,18,447, including 66,330 active cases and 3,583 casualties.
He is the third leader from the party to have tested positive for Covid-19.
Last month, Gujarat MLA Imran Khedawala ended up testing positive just hours after meeting Chief Minister Vijay Rupani; while the CM later tested negative for the virus, the MLA recovered later that month. The same month, senior Gujarat Congress leader Badruddin Shaikh succumbed to the infection.
Maharashtra has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in India with 41,642 cases and 1,454 deaths.
Minutes, after the Congress leader, who is a critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, announced it, hundreds of wishes poured in. Former party colleague and Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi also took to Twitter and said, "Wish you a speedy recovery, Sanjay. if there's anything at all that I can help with do let me know."
Delhi BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga also took to Twitter and prayed for Jha's speedy recovery.