Bengaluru, Aug 1 (IANS): Karnataka's Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil and his wife Vanaja have tested COVID-19 positive and are in home quarantine, an official said on Saturday.

"As the Minister and his wife are asymptomatic with mild symptoms of the virus, they both are under quarantine at their own home in the city's northeast suburb," Patil's Personal Assistant Keeranna told IANS here.

In a message to his family members and supporters, Patil said they need worry about he being infected as he would recover to get back to work soon.

"The Minister's son-in-law was also infected by the virus at Hirekerur in Haveri district, which is his Assembly constituency," Keeranna said.

Hirekerur is about 330km northwest of Bengaluru in the southern state.

Patil is the third state Minster to be infected after state Environment and Forest Minister Anand Singh and state Tourism Minister tested positive and recovered from the infection.

Ruling BJP's legislator Basavaraj Mattimud from Kalaburagi Rural Assembly segment also tested Covid positive on Thursday and is under treatment at home in Kalaburagi in the state's northern region.

Meanwhile, state's Independent Lok Sabha member from Mandya and multi-lingual actress Sumalatha Ambareesh recovered from the disease and back to work. Mandya is about 100km southwest of Bengaluru.

About eight BJP and Congress legislators tested positive in June and July and recovered from the symptoms.

With 5,483 positive cases across the state on Friday, the state's Covid tally shot up to 1,24,115, including 72,005 active after 49,788 were discharged so far, while 2,314 succumbed to the infection since March 9.

As the epicentre of the pandemic in the state, Bengaluru reported 2,220 fresh cases, taking its tally to 72,005, including 37,618 active after 16,896 were discharged till date.