BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh BJP president VD Sharma tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. With this, the entire top leadership of the ruling party is infected by the virus. On Saturday, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was admitted to a Bhopal hospital after being infected by the coronavirus.
On Tuesday night, BJP general secretary (organization) Suhas Bhagat also tested positive and is home quarantine. Sharma, too, is reportedly admitted in the same hospital where the CM is hospitalised. All the three leaders, including Cabinet minister Arvind Bhadoriya, who too tested positive, attended Governor Lalji Tandon’s last rites in Lucknow last week.
Water resources minister Tulsi Silawat and minister of state (independent charge) minority welfare and rural development Ram Khelawan Patel have also tested positive. With this, nine BJP politicians, including seven MLAs, among them three ministers and the CM, and two party leaders are infected by the coronavirus. Two Congress MLAs also tested positive.
Meanwhile, Indore’s Sanwer seat, where byelections are due, will see two COVID positive turncoats battle it out at the husting. While the BJP has decided to field Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalist Tulsi Silawat, the Congress will possibly field former MLA Premchand Guddu. On Tuesday night, both Silawat and his wife tested COVID positive. A week back, Guddu also had tested positive.
While Silawat and wife, both asymptomatic, have home quarantined selves, Guddu was hospitalised at Indore’s Bombay Hospital. Silawat was among the 22 Congress MLAs whose resignation triggered the fall of the Kamal Nath government in March. Guddu, a former Congressman, returned to grand old party last month after 17 months.