Union Minister Smriti Irani has, on Wednesday, tested positive for the COVID-19 viral infection, becoming the ninth Union Minister to confirmed to have contracted the pandemic. The shocking development has come days after she had attended several political rallies in Bihar on behalf of the BJP, for the state assembly polls. 

Smriti Irani has been serving as the Union Minister for Textiles, Women, and Child Development. She took to Twitter and issued conformity that she had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and she has appealed to those who have come in direct contact with her to get tested for COVID-19 at the earliest.  

By taking to Twitter, the Union Minister said, "It is rare for me to search for words while making an announcement; hence here’s me keeping it simple — I’ve tested positive for #COVID and would request those who came in contact with me to get themselves tested at the earliest". 

According to reports, Smriti Irani had recently addressed a public meeting in the assembly constituencies of Kalyanpur, Nautan, and Digha in Bihar as the state has been going through the three-phased assembly polls with the first phase got completed on Wednesday and recorded 51.91% voter turnout till 5 pm. She was among the key BJP leaders who addressed the electoral rallies in the state. 

Irani has tested positive exactly a day after Ramdas Athawale, who is the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, had tested positive for the COVID-19 viral infection. Athawale has been getting treated in a private hospital in Mumbai and he also had asked his close contacts to get tested. Irani is the ninth Union Minister to test positive for the pandemic. 

Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ayush Minister Shripad Naik, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Water Resources Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had so far tested positive for the COVID-19 viral infection.

Apart from these ministers, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu had also tested positive for the pandemic and all of these notable faces had got recovered from the pandemic. After learning that Smriti Irani had tested positive for the COVID-19 viral infection, several union ministers including Nitin Gadkari had wished her a speedy recovery.