Bengal Congress candidate dies of Covid, three others infected

KOLKATA/ MURSHIDABAD: A Congress candidate from Murshidabad succumbed to Covid infection in Kolkata on Thursday, while three other candidates in the poll fray — from across the political spectrum — have been infected as the state has continued to record spike in cases since late-March, coinciding with the commencement of the eight-phase polls.


Rezaul Haque alias Mantu Biswas, 46, who was contesting from Shamsherganj in Murshidabad, tested positive on Wednesday after he fell ill while campaigning. Haque was tested for Covid infection after he felt breathless and was admitted to a nursing home in Jangipur. He was shifted to a hospital in Kolkata late on Wednesday, where he died on Thursday.

Pradip Nandi

, an RSP candidate from Jangipur suffering from Covid, was admitted to a Kolkata hospital on Thursday. BJP candidate from Karimpur in Nadia, Samarendranath Ghosh, has also tested positive and is now in isolation. Bengal junior minister Golam Rabbani, a TMC candidate from Goalpokhor in North Dinajpur, tested positive as well.

And it is not just candidates. Dhuliyan municipality administrator and TMC’s Subal Saha died of Covid on Wednesday after testing positive on Tuesday.