Kolkata, Apr 16 (PTI) The COVID-19 tally in West Bengal mounted to 6,43,795 on Friday after the highest single day spike of 6,910 new cases were reported in the state, the health department said.

On Friday the Revolutionary Socialist Party candidate for Jangipur assembly constituency, Pradip Kumar Nandi who tested positive for COVID-19 died in a Berhampore hospital, health department officials confirmed.

The toll rose to 10,506 with 26 deaths registered in the state in the last 24 hours, it said in a bulletin.

The city accounted for the highest single day jump of 1,844 new cases and nine deaths, the bulletin said.

Of the rest 17, seven deaths were reported in North 24 Parganas, three each in Howrah and Malda, two in Murshidabad and one death each in Purba Medinipur and Nadia districts, it said.

Sixteen out of the 26 deaths were due to comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental.

North 24 Parganas district accounted for 1,592 new cases, while Howrah reported 420 cases, the bulletin said.

At least 2,818 recoveries were reported in the state and the discharge rate continued to slip and was 91.99 per cent.

Till Friday, 5,92,242 people have recovered from the disease in the state.

Since Thursday 40,153 samples have been tested in West Bengal taking the total number of such clinical examinations to 97,15,115, the bulletin said.

Nandi's death took the number of candidates who died due to the disease to two, they said.

Nandi (73), who tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, was in home isolation and was rushed to the hospital on Thursday night after his condition deteriorated, the official said.

Nandi had certain comorbidities and he passed away at around 6PM, he added.

On Thursday Congress candidate for Samsherganj constituency in Murshidabad district, Rezaul Haque, who too had tested positive for COVID19, passed away at a city hospital.

Following Nandi's death, the Election Commission declared polling at Jangipur assembly constituency void, an official said.

Meanwhile, owing to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, hospitals in the city have decided to postpone planned surgeries for at least next two weeks, an official of the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission (WBCREC) said.

The decision was taken at a meeting held between WBCREC and private hospitals on Friday.

WBCREC chairman Justice (retired) Ashim Kumar Banerjee said that requests to increase COVID-19 hospitals by at least 30 per cent was made to the authorities of the medical establishments.

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