'Fairly Strong Symptoms': BJP Leader Varun Gandhi Tests Positive for COVID-19

File image of BJP leader Varun Gandhi used for representative purposes. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Varun Gandhi)

BJP leader Varun Gandhi on Sunday, 9 January, said that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Taking to Twitter, the Lok Sabha MP from Pilibhit constituency said, he got the infection with "fairly strong symptoms," after being in Pilibhit for three days.

He also requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend precautionary doses to candidates and party workers, as "we are now in the middle of a third wave and an election campaign".

No Rallies to be Held Till 15 January, But UP Polls to Begin on 10 Feb

Five states in the country — Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur, and Uttarakhand are set to go to polls next month. The Election Commission of India on Saturday, 8 January, announced the dates for the Assembly polls in these states.

Elections in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted in seven phases, starting from 10 February and ending on 7 March. Goa, Punjab, and Uttarakhand will go to polls in one phase on 14 February, while Manipur will go to polls in two phases on 27 February and 3 March.

With the announcement of the dates, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into force, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra said.

Meanwhile, in the wake of increasing COVID-19 cases across the country, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Saturday announced that all political rallies will be prohibited till 15 January.

"No physical rally of political parties, probable candidates or any other group related to elections shall be allowed till 15 January," Chandra stated.

The political rallies include roadshows, padyatras, cycle/bike rallies, and processions. The CEC also added that the situation will be reviewed and fresh instructions will be issued later.

India on Sunday, 9 January, recorded 1,59,632 new COVID-19 cases, 40,863 recoveries, and 327 deaths in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, a red alert has been issued in the Supreme Court, after two more judges tested positive for the virus on Saturday.

Further, India has confirmed 3,623 cases of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant from 27 states and Union territories so far. The number of persons recovered is 1,409.