LS polls: Two Cong candidates, including ex-CM Baghel, BJP nominee file nominations

Two Congress candidates, including former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee on Tuesday filed their nominations in Chhattisgarh for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Elections to the 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh will be held in three phases on April 19, April 26 and May 7 and votes will be counted on June 4.

Baghel and his party colleague Tamradhwaj Sahu filed their nominations from Rajnandgaon and Mahasamund seats, respectively, while BJP candidate Bhojram Nag submitted his papers for the Kanker (Scheduled Tribe reserved) constituency.

Polling in Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund and Kanker will be held in the second phase on April 26.

Baghel, a sitting MLA, was accompanied by Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant of the Congress during the filing of nomination at Rajnandgaon collectorate. Rajnandgaon is currently held by BJP's Santosh Pandey, who is seeking a second straight term from the constituency.

Nag, accompanied by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, BJP's state in-charge Nitin Nabin and other party leaders, filed his nomination at Kanker Collectorate.

The ruling BJP denied ticket to its sitting MP Mohan Mandavi in Kanker and instead fielded Nag, a former MLA. The opposition Congress has fielded Biresh Thakur from the ST-reserved seat.

Similarly, the BJP dropped its sitting MP Chunnilal Sahu in Mahasamund and fielded Rupkumari Choudhary, a former MLA. The Congress gave ticket to Tamradhwaj Sahu, a former state home minister, in Mahasamund.

Tuesday was the third day of filing nominations for the seats covered by the second phase of voting and so far 20 candidates have submitted their papers in these constituencies, a poll official said in Raipur.

Eight candidates have filed nominations in Mahasamund, seven in Kanker and five in Rajnandgaon, he said.

The last date for filing nominations for the second phase is April 4.

Eleven candidates are in the fray for the first phase of polls to be held in only one constituency in the state - Bastar.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)