Senior ADMK Minister CV Shanmugam has on Thursday tested positive for the COVID-19 viral infection. The development has come when Tamil Nadu has been reporting a sharp surge in the cases of the pandemic and the state has been bracing up the second wave of the outbreak. 

According to reports, Shanmugam is currently serving as the Tamil Nadu Law minister and he also has contested in the state assembly polls in the Villupuram constituency from the ADMK ticket. He had carried down severe campaign rallies owing to the elections and he had developed positive symptoms for the viral infection post which he had undergone testing. 

The test has on Thursday returned positive confirming that the minister has contracted the pandemic. The reports say that the 55-year-old minister is hospitalized and has been getting treated at the Apollo Hospitals in Chennai. The development had shocked the ADMK leaders and members, and it has come on a day when the Tamil Nadu government admitted that the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is out of control. 

Several political leaders in the state have been testing positive for the viral infection and they had taken part in the campaign rallies for the assembly polls. Earlier, DMK General Secretary Durai Murugan, DMK Treasurer TR Baalu, and DMK MP Kanimozhi had tested positive for the viral infection. The health department had attributed the rise to the violations of guidelines and protocols and the state government has also imposed restrictions to curb the spread. 

According to the state health department, Tamil Nadu has reported 7,987 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest single-day rise recorded by the state since the outbreak. The state has reported 9,62,935 cases so far as of Thursday of which 58,097 are active, 8,91,839 have been discharged, and 12,999 had succumbed to the viral infection.