Patna: A ruling JD(U) legislator in Bihar has tested positive for novel coronavirus which is on the rise in the state.
JD(U) Legislative Council member Khalid Anwar on Saturday said that he tested positive and is now under home quarantine in Patna.
“I was suffering from fever for the past 3-4 days after which I decided to undergo the coronavirus test.
“I underwent a rapid test at a private hospital here on Friday and the result came within 10 minutes. I have kept myself in home quarantine on doctors’ advice,” Anwar told PTI.
COVID-19 has been spreading sharply in Bihar and ministers, legislators and top-ranking officials have also fallen prey to it.
Two members of Nitish Kumar cabinet, Vinod Kumar Singh and Shailesh Kumar, tested positive for it.
Legislative Council Acting Chairman Awadhesh Narayan Singh and his family members had earlier tested positive and they were presently in home quarantine.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi and Legislative Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary and others who attended an oath-taking function of newly elected MLCs with Singh on July 1, had given their sample for COVID-19 test which came out to be negative.
One of the newly elected MLCs, Gulam Gaus of the JD(U), was also found to be infected.
Earlier, MLAs Jibesh Kumar Mishra (BJP), Anand Shankar Singh (Congress) and Shahnawaz Alam (RJD) tested positive for the virus.
In the state BJP headquarters, over two dozen functionaries tested positive for the virus early this week.
Sanjay Jaiswal, the Lok Sabha chief whip of BJP at the Centre and also its Bihar unit president, who attended a series of interactions with party workers ahead of the polls also tested positive along with some members of his family.
Former union minister and senior RJD leader Raghubansh Prasad Singh was admitted to AIIMS, Patna, after testing positive. He has been cured of the disease and discharged.
A large number of senior bureaucrats including Additional Chief Secretary for Home Amir Subhani have tested positive for COVID-19.
As per the latest health bulletin, Bihar’s tally of confirmed cases has risen to 23,300. A total of 174 people have died due to the virus in the state so far.