Uttar Pradesh BJP President Swatantra Dev Singh (L) and Jal Shakti minister Mahendra Singh(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@swatantrabjp | @bjpdrmahendra)
Lucknow : Hours after Uttar Pradesh minister Kamal Rani Varun's death due to coronavirus on Sunday, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Swatantra Dev Singh and Jal Shakti minister Mahendra Singh tested positive for the infection. Two other legislators were also confirmed to have contracted the virus.
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh took to Twitter to inform that he has tested coronavirus positive. The senior BJP leader has quarantined himself at his residence. He has urged people who came in contact with him to get themselves tested.
Swatantra Dev Singh also appealed to the people to take all the necessary precautions and follow the Covid-19 guidelines.
मुझे कोरोना के शुरुआती लक्षण दिख रहे थे जिसके चलते मैंने अपनी कोविड-19 की जाँच कराई। जाँच में मेरी रिपोर्ट कोरोना पॉज़िटिव आई है। मुझसे संपर्क में आने वाले सभी लोगों से मेरा निवेदन है कि वह गाइडलाइन के अनुसार स्वयं को क्वारंटाइन कर ले और आवश्यकता अनुसार अपनी जाँच करा ले।
— Swatantra Dev Singh (@swatantrabjp) August 2, 2020
Apart from Mahendra Singh, eight other state ministers -- Yogendra Upadhaya, Devendra Pratap Singh, Rajendra Pratap Singh, Dharam Singh Saini, Chetan Chauhan, Upendra Tiwari, Raghuraj Singh and Jai Pratap Singh -have tested positive and are undergoing treatment.
Cabinet Minister Kamal Rani Varun, who tested positive for coronavirus last month, died on Sunday at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) in Lucknow.
The families of two more Ministers, Satish Mahana and Brijesh Pathak, have also been infected with the virus.
[ Inputs from IANS and various agencies ]