Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani fainted on stage while addressing a rally on Sunday, his third for the day, ahead of the upcoming civic polls in Nizampura area of Vadodara.
A feeble Rupani stopped mid-sentence as he was seen collapsing during the poll rally but his security guard rushed to catch him. The chief minister was given first aid on the stage and was later seen coming down the stairs of the stage on his own, news agency PTI reported.
In a video shared by the chief minister's Twitter handle for a live broadcast of the rally, Rupani was seen losing consciousness towards the end of the speech.
"The chief minister collapsed while he was addressing the public meeting. His security guards caught hold of him when he fell. He was given first aid and is being taken to the airport from where he will go to a hospital in Ahmedabad," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bharat Danger said, according to PTI.
{{/usCountry}}"The chief minister collapsed while he was addressing the public meeting. His security guards caught hold of him when he fell. He was given first aid and is being taken to the airport from where he will go to a hospital in Ahmedabad," Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bharat Danger said, according to PTI.
{{/usCountry}}Shortly after the report of Rupani collapsing on stage surfaced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the chief minister and inquired about his health. According to an official statement, he asked the chief minister to get himself completely examined and take rest.
Danger said Rupani's health was not keeping well for the last two days. "...but instead of cancelling his public meetings held in Jamnagar on Saturday and in Vadodara on Sunday, he preferred to go ahead," Danger said.
The BJP leader said that Rupani is fine now.
Elections to six municipal corporations, including Vadodara, will be held on February 21 while those for municipalities, districts and taluka panchayats will be held on February 28.