Congress moves 15 Gujarat MLAs to resort after 3 resignations ahead of Rajya Sabha polls

Even as Coronavirus crisis engulfs the state, Gujarat is preparing for the Rajya Sabha elections. On Sunday, after three of its legislators resigned from the Gujarat Assembly, the Congress has shifted its 15 MLAs from central Gujarat to a resort near Anand. Congress leader Bharat Singh Solanki has been entrusted with the responsibility of moving these MLAs, reported news agency ANI.

As the Rajya Sabha elections are scheduled to be held on June 19, three Congress MLAs have resigned from the legislature in the last few days. Following the development, party MLAs have been shifted to Aries Riverside Resort. Solanki held talks with the MLAs staying at the hotel. Earlier, some Gujarat Congress MLAs had on Saturday reached Wildwinds Resort at Abu Road in Rajasthan. 

Trouble mounts for Congress in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections where four seats from Gujarat are supposed to go into polling. Out of these, three were of the BJP and the other one of Congress. 

READ | Gujarat assembly: 2 more Congress MLAs resign; total 7 out ahead of Rajya Sabha polls

Covid-19 in Gujarat

Meanwhile, Gujarat on Saturday reported 498 new coronavirus positive cases and 29 deaths, including 26 in Ahmedabad district, taking the total case count to 19,617, and fatalities to 1,219, state health department said. The number of recovered cases also rose to 13,324 with 313 more patients getting discharged from hospitals, it said.

With this, there are 5,074 active cases in Gujarat. As many as 61 patients are on ventilator, the statement said. The state has so far tested 2,45,606 samples. Ahmedabad reported 289 new cases, followed by Surat (92) and Vadodara (34), it said.

READ | Gujarat COVID-19 cases rise by 498 to 19,617; death toll 1,219

While the total cases in Ahmedabad rose to 13,968, the number of cases in Surat went up to 2,033 and 1,258 in Vadodara, it said. Ahmedabad city has so far reported deaths of 994 coronavirus patients and recovery of 210 patients, followed by Surat (25) and Vadodara (23), the statement said.

Among 17 other districts that reported fresh COVID-19 cases are Gandhinagar (20), Rajkot (8) and Valsad (7). Gujarat COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 19,617, new cases 498, deaths 1,219, discharged 13,324, active cases 5,074 and people tested so far 2,45,606.

(with ANI inputs)

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