Bhubaneswar: The number of BJD leaders afflicted with COVID-19 is on the rise with Commerce and Transport minister Padmanabha Behera and Boudh MLA Pradip Kumar Amat testing positive for the virus infection.
Behera is the eighth minister to have tested positive for the virus. Earlier, seven ministers Samir Ranjan Dash, Ranendra Pratap Swain, Tukuni Sahu, Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Susanta Singh, Arun Kumar Sahu and Padmini Dian have already tested positive.
Besides, two MPs Ramesh Majhi (Nabarangpur) and Manjulata Mandal (Bhadrak) have also tested positive.
Similarly, Amat is among the 23 other party MLAs who have tested positive.
Others are Dhenkanal MLA Sudhir Kumar Samal, Pipili MLA Pradeep Maharathy, Baliguda MLA Chakramani Kanhar, Kendrapada MLA Sashi Bhusan Behera, Patnagarh MLA Saroj Meher, Nabarangpur MLA Sadasiva Pradhani, Laxmipur MLA Prabhu Jani, Anandpur MLA Bhagirathi Sethy, Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Basudevpur MLA Bishnubrata Routray, Bhubaneswar North MLA Susant Rout, Bhubaneswar Central MLA Ananta Narayan Jena, Berhampur MLA Bikram Panda, Chandbali MLA Byomakesh Ray, former Badamba MLA Debi Prasad Mishra, Pottangi MLA Pritam Padhi, Bhadrak MLA Sanjib Mallick, Bari MLA Sunanda Das, Polasara MLA Srikant Sahu, Remuna MLA Sudhanshu Shekhar Parida, Jagatsinghpur MLA Prasanta Muduli and Selapur MLA Prasant Behera who also have tested positive for the virus.
