Covid-19 goes viral through Gujarat BJP leadership

GANDHINAGAR: Panic is coursing through the state BJP as several leaders have tested positive for Covid-19. While Ahmedabad West MP Kirit Solanki tested positive earlier, Ahmedabad East MP Hasmukh Patel and his wife tested positive on Tuesday. State BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya also tested positive on Tuesday.
State BJP president C R Paatil got himself tested for Covid-19 on Tuesday at a private hospital and said that while his rapid antigen test has been negative, his RTPCR test result is awaited.
“Following doctors’ advice, I have decided to isolate myself in the hospital till the RTPCR test report is out,” Paatil told TOI late on Tuesday night. “I am fine and my oxygen saturation is good. But I will spend the night at hospital heeding doctors’ counsel.”
After his recent appointment as the state BJP president, Paatil has been touring the state as part of his outreach mission and has been addressing gatherings.
Paatil decided to get himself tested after Bharat Pandya was found positive. “My rapid antigen test is negative and I do not have any symptoms yet,” Paatil said. “However, as directed by the parliament secretariat, we have to give a corona-negative certificate before attending the parliament’s monsoon session. I am supposed to travel to Delhi after two days. If positive for Covid, I will not go.”
Paatil’s son Jignesh Paatil tweeted on Tuesday afternoon that his father has tested positive and wished him a speedy recovery, but deleted the tweet after C R Paatil tweeted that his rapid antigen test was negative.
Although BJP office secretary Paresh Patel and other staff of the party’s state headquarters Kamalam have tested positive for Covid-19, local authorities have still not put the HQ under micro-containment. However, the BJP decided to restrict the entry of party workers to Kamalam after Pandya, Patel, and others tested positive.
Meanwhile, Hasmukh Patel said that he has decided to stay in home quarantine and not attend the forthcoming parliament session. He got himself tested at UN Mehta hospital after suffering from sore throat. “My wife has also tested positive for Covid-19 and we will be in home quarantine until our reports are negative,” he said.