Coronavirus in Gujarat: Ahmedabad Congress leader Badruddin Shaikh dies due to COVID-19

Veteran Congress leader and Ahmedabad corporator Badruddin Shaikh succumbed to coronavirus on Sunday. Shaikh tested positive for COVID-19 on April 15 and was admitted to the SVP Hospital on the same day. He also suffered from comorbid conditions coupled with high diabetes and heart ailment. His condition exacerbated in the hospital and was placed on ventilator on April 17. His wife, who also tested positive for COVID-19, has been admitted to SVP and is currently undergoing treatment.

The news of his death was shared by Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil on Twitter. "I am at a loss of words. Badrubhai as we called him was a stellar of strength and patience. A senior leader of our Gujarat Congress family, I knew him since 40 years when he was with Youth Congress. He was relentlessly working with poor people and was infected with COVID-19," Gohil tweeted.

"I am distraught on hearing the sad news of Badruddin Shaikh' s death. He will be remembered as a learned man who served his people," Ahmedabad Mirror quoted BJP Spokesperson Bharat Pandya as saying.

Shaikh was a corporator from the Danilimada area in Ahmedabad, which is also one of the coronavirus hotspots in Ahmedabad. Since 2010-2015, Shaikh had been the leader of opposition in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

Meanwhile, the number of novel coronavirus cases in Gujarat stands at 3,071, whereas 133 people have died in the state as of April 26, 5 pm. According to the Union Health Ministry website, as many as 282 people have been cured so far. Of the total cases, 2,181 cases have been reported from Ahmedabad, including 104 deaths.

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