KOCHI: In a setback to the UDF's election campaign, Tony Chammany, its candidate from the Kochi constituency, has tested positive for COVID-19. Chammany, a former mayor of Kochi, is pitted against K J Maxi, the sitting MLA of the CPM, in the constituency.
It was Chammany himself who took to Facebook to announce the news. "After Wednesday's campaign, I felt some discomfort. At the hospital, I underwent a Covid test. The doctors informed me that I am Covid-19 positive. I am now admitted to Medical Trust Hospital. Need your prayers. My close contacts should be more cautious. In my absence, I request my party workers to carry forward the campaign. Together, we shall overcome," wrote Chammany.
Kochi, which has been a UDF fort, favoured the LDF in 2016 when Maxi won by a slim margin of 1,086 votes defeating Dominic Presentation of the Congress.
Chammany's COVID-19 infection comes at a time when reports from the ground indicated a slight edge for him. It remains to be seen how his temporary departure from the battlefront at the fag end of the campaign will affect the UDF's prospects.