Another minister of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s cabinet has tested positive for coronavirus, as per the minister’s statement on his Twitter handle posted late Tuesday night. The minister’s wife has also contracted the infection.
A senior state BJP leader too tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday. The senior leader had accompanied the chief minister, state BJP president VD Sharma and a minister on a state government’s plane to Lucknow on July 21 to attend the funeral of MP governor Lalji Tandon.
The minister who accompanied the CM to Lucknow was the first minister in the state cabinet to have tested positive for Covid-19 on July 22, the day he attended the state cabinet meeting along with other ministers. The meeting was chaired by the CM who tested positive for the virus on Saturday. CM Chouhan and the minister are being treated at a private medical college’s hospital in Bhopal.
The minister who tested positive on Tuesday hails from Malwa region, thus, happens to be the second minister in Chouhan cabinet to have tested positive for the virus within a week.
The minister said in his statement, “Despite having no symptoms, we underwent a Covid-19 test on the instructions of the chief minister. My wife’s and my reports have come back positive. I hope we will defeat Corona with good wishes of people and work for people with the same dedication. My appeal to my friends is they should undergo the test.”
The minister said, “We are going to quarantine at home on doctors’ advice. Those who were in close contact too are going to quarantine at home.”
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, senior BJP leader, Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia, among other BJP leaders including ministers and several Congress leaders, wished the minister and his wife a speedy recovery.
Notably, the minister has to face ensuing assembly bypolls in the state to retain his position as he happens to be one of the 14 ex-MLAs who have been inducted as a minister in the Chouhan cabinet. He had been canvassing for his election too in the constituency for months as he is expected to get the BJP ticket for the bypolls for the constituency. The dates of the bypolls are yet to be announced by the Election Commission.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, CM Chouhan chaired a virtual cabinet meeting from the hospital and shared that he reported no fever and his cough was also controlled.
