Vijay Rupani was addressing a rally yesterday when he fainted.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has tested positive for coronavirus, hours after he fainted on stage during an election rally in Vadodra, and was flown to Ahmedabad to be admitted to a hospital. He has mild symptoms. Two other BJP leaders in the state - Bhikhubhai Dalsaniya and MP Vinod Chavda - have contracted the virus, Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil said.
Last evening, Mr Rupani, 64, was addressing a rally for the upcoming civic polls when he suddenly fainted on stage; he was given first-aid shortly afterwards and was later flown to Ahmedabad in a helicopter, news agency PTI reported.
"He fainted on stage and I gave him a primary medical treatment. He was fine and walked back to his car from the stage," Vadodara BJP chief Dr Vijay Shah was quoted as saying by PTI.
In Ahmedabad, he was admitted to the UN Mehta hospital. His sample for Covid was collected on Sunday night and sent for RT-PCR test which has come out positive for coronavirus, said a health bulletin issued by the hospital.
"His (Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani's) condition is stable. All his medical check-up reports including EGC and CT scan are normal. There is nothing to worry about," Dr RK Patel, Director of UN Mehta hospital, Ahmedabad, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI earlier today.
Six municipal corporations in Gujarat, including Vadodara, will hold elections on February 21 while polls for municipalities, districts and taluka panchayats will be held on February 28.
The Chief Minister "was unwell for the last two days, but instead of cancelling his public meetings held in Jamnagar on Saturday and in Vadodara on Sunday, he preferred to continue," BJP leader Bharat Danger told reporters on Sunday, PTI reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi enquired about his health on phone.
India has recorded over 1.09 crore coronavirus cases since the first patient was reported from Kerala on January 30,2020. Gujarat alone has logged about 2.65 lakh cases. In the last few months, however, the country and the state has seen a dip in the cases.
Several top BJP leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah have contracted the highly infectious virus in the last one year.