Karnataka's Congress MLA Sangamesh tests corona positive

Karnataka's Congress legislator BK Sangamesh from Bhadravathi has been admitted in a private city hospital after testing cornavirus positive , a party official said on Monday.

"As 55-year-old Sangamesh tested positive on Sunday, he was brought to Bengaluru from Shivamogga and admitted in the private hospital here for treatment," party spokesman Rajeev Gowda told IANS.

Bhadaravathi is about 280km northwest of Bengaluru in the southern state.

"It appears that the MLA got infected after four workers at his home in Shivamogga tested positive last week," Gowda said.

Entry to the MLA's house and office at Shivamogga was banned for a week on September 18 after the workers reported corona infection.

Sangamesh is the latest lawmaker to test positive even as the 8-day Monsoon Session of the legislture began on Monday at the Vidhana Soudha here.

Besides Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Cabinet Ministers K Gopalaiah, Byarathi Basavaraj and Prabhu Chauhan are undergoing treatment after testing positive last week.

State Congress legislator Priyank Kharge from Chittapur in Kalaburagi district in the state's northern region also tested positive on Friday after he gave swab sample for testing along with other lawmakers ahead of the Assembly session.

With a number of Ministers and lawmakers testing positive, the ruling BJP plans to curtail the session to 3-4 days from 8 days, as about 60 lawmakers were absent on the first day of the session in the Assembly and the Council on Monday.

The opposition Congress, however, sought an extension of the session as it wanted discussion on the amendment Bills to be moved in the House.

The Assembly has a strength of 225 members and the Council 75 members.