New Delhi: India reported 9,102 fresh coronavirus cases in a day, the lowest in around eight months, as the infection tally reached 1,06,76,838, according to Union Health Ministry data on Tuesday.

During the same period, 117 fatalities were recorded, also the lowest in over eight months, taking the death toll to 1,53,587. India had reported a single-day rise of 8,909 cases on June 3 and 103 deaths on May 16.

According to the health ministry, 1,03,45,985 people have recuperated from the disease so far pushing the national COVID-19 recovery rate to 96.90 per cent. The case fatality rate stood at 1.44 per cent.

There are 1,77,266 active cases of coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 1.66 per cent of the total cases reported so far. It was for the seventh consecutive day that the active caseload remain below 2 lakh.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 19,30,62,694 samples have been tested for COVID-19 detection up to January 25 with 7,25,577 of them being tested on Monday.

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Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Monday said the Congress-led UDF’s sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly polls was a clear verdict against the “arrogance”, corruption, and nepotism of the CPI(M)-led LDF government headed by CM Pinarayi Vijayan.

Addressing a press conference as counting of votes for all 140 Assembly constituencies neared completion, Venugopal said the outcome reflected public anger against what he termed “10 years of misrule” by the Left government.

He claimed that Vijayan’s victory in his home constituency, Dharmadam, was “only technical”, alleging that the CM trailed the UDF candidate in the initial rounds of counting and failed to secure a majority in his own village.

“He just escaped. He suffered a setback even in his home turf. He was the only person who did not realise the people’s mood in this election,” Venugopal said.

Alleging that the CPI(M) and the LDF had resorted to “communal and opportunistic politics”, he further claimed that the ruling front had entered into a “secret understanding” with the BJP in a bid to retain power for a third consecutive term.

He said that when a government driven by power and arrogance attempts to align with anyone to stay in office, even its own cadre turns against it.

Referring to the results, Venugopal said that while the UDF expected rebel CPI(M) leaders, including K Kunhikrishnan in Payyannur, to impact the vote share, their victories came as a surprise.

Describing the UDF’s performance as a “historic victory”, he attributed it to coordinated teamwork, grassroots mobilisation, and the dedication of party workers, adding that the alliance accepted the mandate “with humility”.

Venugopal also credited Rahul Gandhi’s campaign guarantees, calling them a “trump card” that helped voters focus on real issues and reject what he described as the LDF’s “false narratives”.

He claimed that the Congress witnessed one of its lowest levels of rebellion in this election, which contributed to the alliance’s strong performance.

The senior Congress leader further alleged that the BJP managed to win two seats with the help of the CPI(M), and asserted that forces attempting to divide society on communal lines should “learn a lesson” from Kerala’s verdict.

“This is the real Kerala story,” he said.

On the question of the next Chief Minister, Venugopal said the party leadership would decide at the earliest after due consultations.

The counting of votes began on Monday morning for all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF secured a decisive majority, defeating the CPI(M)-led LDF, which was seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.