Duraimurugan, who is 83 years old, is the DMK candidate from Katpadi Assembly constituency.
DMK General Secretary Duraimurugan, who is the party candidate from Katpadi, tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Thursday. Duraimurugan, who is 83 years old, was actively involved in the party’s campaign in the run-up to the April 6 Assembly elections. He is reportedly isolating himself at home.
On Saturday, DMK’s Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi, who was a key campaigner for the party, also tested positive for the novel coronavirus. She was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals in Chennai the same day. On polling day on Tuesday, Kanimozhi arrived by ambulance wearing PPE at her polling station – the St Ebbas School in Chennai to cast her vote. The Election Commission had allowed COVID-19 patients to vote between 6pm and 7pm on Tuesday.
A number of candidates and campaigners in Tamil Nadu had tested positive for the coronavirus in the run-up to the polls. This includes Makkal Needhi Maiam’s (MNM) Santhosh Babu, who is the party candidate from Velachery. He was forced to campaign via social media after he contracted the infection. His party colleague and candidate from Anna Nagar V Ponraj also got COVID-19 with weeks to go for the elections. Manithaneya Makkal Katchi’s (MMK) MH Jawahirullah, who contested from Papanasam Assembly constituency, also got COVID-19 with days to go for the polls. DMK’s Kurunjipadi candidate and former minister MR Panneerselvam had also tested positive for the virus earlier. He was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai in late March.
Tamil Nadu has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. Chennai in particular accounts for a bulk of the infections. On Wednesday, Tamil Nadu recorded 3,986 COVID-19 cases, while Chennai reported 1,459 infections. The state witnessed 17 persons dying of COVID-19, with Chennai accounting for 8 fatalities. Tamil Nadu has over 27,000 active cases as of April 7.
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Source: The News Minute