75 file nominations for three Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh

A total of 75 candidates, including former Congress Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, have filed nomination papers for the three Naxal-hit Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh going to polls on April 17.
Mahasamund, Kanker (ST) and Rajnandgaon will vote in the second phase.
Besides Jogi (Mahasamund), Chief Minister Raman Singh's son Abhishek (Rajnandgaon) and former Minister and sitting MLA Vikram Usendi (Kanker), both from BJP, are prominent among the candidates who have filed nomination.
Seventy-five candidates have filed their nominations from Mahasamund, Rajnandgaon and Kanker, and scrutiny of their papers will be completed by tomorrow, an official here said, adding the contestants can withdraw their name till March 29.

Twenty-seven nominees have submitted papers in Rajnandgaon, 38 in Mahasamund and 10 in Kanker.
Jogi is pitted against sitting BJP MP Chandulal Sahu. Noted folk artist Laxman Masturiya is contesting from Mahasamund on AAP ticket.

In Kanker, BJP's Usendi will face Phulo Devi Netam of Congress.
Chhattisgarh will see a three-phase polling for its 11 Parliamentary constituencies next month. Naxal-hit Bastar (ST) will vote on April 10 in the first phase.
Seven seats - Surguja and Raigarh (ST), Janjgir-Champa (SC) Raipur, Durg, Korba and Bilaspur will see polling on April 24 in the third phase.
In Bastar, where today was the last day for taking back nominations, eight candidates are in the fray.

BJP's sitting MP Dinesh Kashyap, Congress' Deepak Karma, Vimla Sori (CPI) and Soni Sori of AAP are prominent contestants in Bastar.
In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, BJP had won 10 seats, while Congress managed just one. This time too, the main fight would be between ruling BJP and Opposition Congress.