Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Rupkumari Choudhary and Congress nominee Biresh Thakur on Wednesday filed their nominations from Mahasamund and Kanker Lok Sabha seats, respectively, in Chhattisgarh.

Wednesday was the fourth day of filing nominations for the second phase of elections covering three seats and so far a total of 35 candidates have submitted their papers, a poll official here said.

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

Polling in Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund and Kanker (Scheduled Tribe reserved) seats will be held in the second phase on April 26.

So far, 13 candidates each have filed nominations from Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund and nine from Kanker, the official said.

Former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel is the Congress candidate from Rajnandgaon.

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

BJP candidate Choudhary was accompanied by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai when she filed nomination at the Mahasamund collectorate.

The ruling BJP has dropped its sitting MP Chunnilal Sahu in Mahasamund and fielded Choudhary, a former MLA. The opposition Congress has fielded former state home minister Tamradhwaj Sahu from Mahasamund.

Thakur, accompanied by state Congress chief Deepak Baij, filed his nomination at Kanker collectorate.

The BJP has denied ticket to its sitting Kanker MP Mohan Mandavi and fielded Bhojraj Nag, a former MLA, from the ST-reserved seat.

Eleven candidates are in the fray for the first phase of polls to be held on April 19 in only one parliamentary constituency in the state - Bastar.

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