BJP MLA, SP leader succumb to Covid

Former Uttar Pradesh ministers Dal Bahadur Kori and Vinod Kumar Singh alias Pandit Singh died due to Covid-19 complications in private hospitals in Lucknow on Friday.

While Kori was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Salon assembly constituency in Rae Bareli district, Vinod Kumar Singh was a Samajwadi Party (SP) leader.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the deaths of Kori and Singh. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has condoled the death of Singh. Kori is the fourth BJP MLA to have lost the battle to Covid in 15 days. Before him, Ramesh Chandra Diwakar (Auraiya) died on April 22, Suresh Kumar Srivastava (Lucknow West) on April 23 and Kesar Singh Gangwar (Nawabganj in Bareilly) on April 28.

Since the start of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, eight Uttar Pradesh MLAs have died due to Covid-19. They include Kamal Rani Varun, Chetan Chauhan, Janmejay Singh, Parasnath Yadav, Suresh Kumar Srivsatava, Ramesh Chandra Diwakar, Kesar Singh Gangwar and Dal Bahadur Kori. Chetan Chauhan and Kamal Rani Varun were ministers in the BJP government.