COVID-19: India reports 84,332 new cases in 24 hours, its lowest in 70 days
New Delhi: The daily COVID-19 count in India remained below the one-lakh mark for the fifth consecutive day with the country reporting 84,332 fresh cases, its lowest in 70 days, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday.
With the fresh cases, the infection tally has climbed to 2,93,59,155. The COVID-19 death toll climbed to 3,67,081 with 4,002 daily deaths, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The number of active cases further declined to 10,80,690 accounting for 3.68 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 95.07 per cent.
India's active caseload declined to less than 11 lakh after 63 days while 84,332 new cases reported in 24 hours are the lowest in 70 days, the ministry said.
Also, 20,44,131 coronavirus tests were conducted on Friday taking the total number to 37,42,42,384.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 4.39 per cent. It has been less than 10 per cent for the 19th consecutive day, the ministry said, adding the weekly positivity rate has also declined to 4.94 per cent.
Recoveries continue to outnumber daily new cases for the 30th consecutive day. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,79,11,384, while the case fatality rate has increased to 1.25 per cent, the data stated.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
