Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has gone into self-isolation after her husband, Robert Vadra, tested positive for coronavirus.
“I’ve been exposed to coronavirus. Although I tested negative yesterday, the doctors have advised that I self-isolate for a few days,” Gandhi said in a video message posted on Twitter on Friday, 2 April.
“Unfortunately, I have to cancel the programme that was scheduled for me for the Assam campaign today, for Tamil Nadu tomorrow and for Kerala day after tomorrow. I’d like to apologise to everybody for not being able to be there. I wish all the candidates I was supposed to campaign for, the very best for the election. I hope all of you do well and the Congress is victorious,” she added.
Voting for the Assembly elections in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala will be held in a single phase on 6 April, which will also see the third and last phase of polling for Assam.
The Congress general secretary’s decision to self-isolate comes as India witnesses a massive spike in the daily number of coronavirus cases over the last few weeks, led by the surge in states such as Maharashtra, Punjab and Gujarat.
On Friday, India reported 81,466 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the country to 1,23,03,131. The death toll increased by 469 to 1,63,396.
This is the biggest one-day rise in COVID cases since 2 October, when 81,484 cases were recorded.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)