Smriti Irani, Union Women and Child Development Minister on October 28 said she has tested positive for the coronavirus. The 44-year-old actor-turned-politician urged people who had come in close contact with her to get themselves tested for COVID-19. She had been actively campaigning for the Bihar elections to seek votes for the National Democratic Alliance government in the state. The Union minister's Covid diagnosis comes days after she hit the campaign trail for the ongoing Bihar elections as a star campaigner. Smriti Irani hit the campaign trail in Bihar last week and has addressed at least 10 election rallies for NDA candidates since then in areas like Gopalganj, Munger, Bodh Gaya and Digha among others. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who is in charge of the party's Bihar assembly election campaign, had tested positive for coronavirus on October 24. Senior BJP leader & Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi informed on October 22 that he had contracted coronavirus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also enquired about his health. Former cabinet minister Shahnawaz Hussain and MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy are the other BJP leaders who tested positive for COVID-19 during the Bihar election campaign. Meanwhile, roughly, 54.26% of 21.4 million people voted across 71 seats in the opening phase of the Bihar assembly elections on October 28. Bihar assembly elections will be conducted in three phases between October 28 & November 3. Results will be declared on November 10.
