Bhopal, March 28 (IANS): Sixty-four candidates of the various political parties have filed nominations for the six Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh that will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19.

Of them, six each are from the BJP and Congress while the remaining are from other political parties. This number excludes Independent candidates.

Three BJP candidates -- Ashish Dube from Jabalpur, Bharti Paradhi from Balaghat, and Vivek 'Bunty' Sahu from Chhindwara -- filed their nomination papers on Wednesday in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and several other senior leaders of the party.

Also, Congress' Phundelal Marko, Omkar Singh Markam and Samart Singh Saraswar filed their nominations on the last day for Shahdol, Mandla and Balaghat Lok Sabha seats, respectively.

Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Jitu Patwari along with Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar and former state president Arun Yadav joined the party candidates during their nomination filings.

The first phase of the Lok Sabha election, which is scheduled for April 19, will cover six parliamentary constituencies in the state -- Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, Balaghat and Chhindwara. The BJP had bagged five of them, while the Congress could win one in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Pratap Singh, who recently resigned from the BJP, filed his nomination from the Sidhi Lok Sabha seat on the symbol of the Gondwana Gantantra Party. His tenure for the Upper House of the Parliament will end on April 2.

Candidates in the fray can withdraw their nomination papers until March 30. The election for the second, third and fourth phases in Madhya Pradesh, will be held on April 26, May 7 and 13, respectively. While the counting of votes will be held on June 4.