BHOPAL: Entire top leadership of the ruling BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has tested positive for coronavirus. All the top three, including state’s chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state BJP president and Khajuraho Lok Sabha member VD Sharma and party’s state general secretary (organization) Suhas Bhagat have tested positive for the deadly viral infection.
While the CM had tested positive on Saturday and is currently hospitalized at Chirayu Hospital in Bhopal, Bhagat tested positive on Tuesday night and is home quarantined. The latest to test positive is state party chief VD Sharma, who too is being reportedly hospitalized at the same hospital, where the CM is already admitted.
Importantly, all four BJP leaders, including the CM, state BJP chief VD Sharma, state general secretary (organization) Suhas Bhagat and cabinet minister Arvind Bhadoriya – who attended Governor Lalji Tandon’s last rites in Lucknow last week have now tested COVID positive.
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 CM) and two state party organization leaders have so far tested COVID positive.
Two Congress legislators too have tested positive for the viral ailment.
Indore’s Sanwer seat to host by-poll battle between 2 COVID-positive turncoats
The Sanwer assembly seat, the only seat in Indore, which will go to by-polls as part of 27 assembly by-polls in Madhya Pradesh in coming months will possibly witness battle between two COVID-19 positive political turn-coats.
While the BJP has decided to field present water resources minister and Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalist ex-Congress MLA Tulsiram Silawat, the Congress will possibly field ex-MP and ex-MLA Premchand Guddu.
On Tuesday night, both Silawat and wife tested positive for the COVID-19 in Indore. A week back, his possible poll rival Premchand Guddu too had tested positive for the same viral infection.
While Silawat and wife -- both asymptomatic -- have home quarantined themselves, Guddu was hospitalised at Indore's Bombay Hospital after testing COVID-positive last week.
While Silawat was among the 22 Congress MLAs, whose resignation triggered fall of Kamal Nath government in March, Guddu a former Congress MP had returned to grand old party's fold last month after being in the BJP for 17 months.
The state has reported around 30,134 COVID positive cases and 844 deaths so far, out of which 5872 cases and 164 deaths have been reported in state capital Bhopal only.