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Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhu tests positive for Covid before meeting with PM
Three-day winter session of the Himachal Pradesh assembly, which was to begin from December 22, postponed indefinitely, while Congress thanksgiving rally in Dharamshala on December 21 called off
Newly elected Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who was to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday morning, has tested positive for Covid-19.
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“The chief minister was scheduled to meet the Prime Minister but the meeting has now been postponed,” the chief minister’s principal media adviser Naresh Chauhan said.
Sukhu tested positive during the test that is mandatory before meeting the Prime Minister. “The chief minister is asymptomatic and absolutely fine. He will undergo another test in the afternoon. He has quarantined himself as a precautionary measure and all his engagements have been postponed,” Chauhan said.
After meeting the Prime Minister, Sukhu was to return to Shimla and participate in the oath-taking ceremony of pro tem speaker Chander Kumar at Raj Bhawan.
The three-day winter session of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha that was to start in Dharamshala on December 22 has been postponed indefinitely.
A Congress thanksgiving rally being organised for him in Dharamshala on December 21 has also been put off. The Congress planned the rally to express gratitude to people of the state, particularly voters of Kangra, for giving the party the mandate. The Congress won 40 seats in the 68-member House on December 8. In Kangra, it won 10 of the 15 assembly segments, which helped it come to power.
Sukhu’s taking ill may delay cabinet expansion as well it was to be held after the assembly’s winter session.
He took charge as the state’s 15th chief minister a week ago. He participated in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra at Alwar on December 16 along with deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri, state Congress chief Pratibha Singh and 38 newly elected MLAs.
Sukhu has been in New Delhi since then and met Congress leaders, including AICC in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Rajiv Shukla, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, AICC general secretary Ajay Maken and member of the screening committee Deepa Das Munshi.
