THE race for Parliament in South and West Dorset is expected to be a nail-biting affair as the final list of candidates is announ-ced.

Both seats are set to be hotly contested in the May General Election after only marginal wins in the 2001 elections.

Voters will have six candidates to choose from to fill the South Dorset seat, while electors in West Dorset can select from five candidates.

And the competition is also hotting up in North Dorset where past elections have also been close and this year sees six hopefuls in the running.

Jim Knight has been the MP for South Dorset for nine years and is seeking re-election this year, in a constituency considered a key Tory target.

Mr Knight won the 2005 election with 20,231 votes – just over 1,800 votes ahead of the former Conservative candidate Ed Matts.

Contesting the seat are Conservative Richard Drax, Brian Heatley for the Green Party, UKIP candidate Mike Hobson, Ros Kayes for the Lib Dems, and Andy Kirkwood for Go MAD and vote for yourself.

Mr Knight’s closest rival Richard Drax said: “All campaigns are tough – I don’t take people’s votes for granted, I never have. It’s for the electorate to vote for whoever they wish and all I can do is work as hard as I can to look after my prospective constituents.”

Mr Knight said: “I welcome the range of candidates because it gives people a choice.

“But history shows us that only the two parties have ever won here.”

A closely-fought contest is also expected for West Dorset, where Oliver Letwin has been Tory MP for the last 13 years and is also seeking re-election. He kept his seat in the 2005 election by securing 24,763 votes, only 2,461 votes ahead of the former Lib Dem candidate Justine McGuinness.

Also standing this year are Sue Farrant for Lib Dem, Labour candidate Dr Steve Bick, Oliver Chisholm for UKIP, and Susan Greene for the Green Party.

Mr Letwin said: “As always, this will be a closely-contested seat. I’m delighted to find a lot of support in our canvassing but I know we have to work for every vote in West Dorset.”

His closest rival Sue Farrant said: “I think it’s a good, strong slate of candidates, which means that the people of West Dorset have got choice, which is exactly as it should be in a democratic election.”

In North Dorset, Conservative Bob Walter is seeking re-election and will be up against Mike Bunney for Labour, Lib Dem Emily Gasson, Anna Hayball for the Green Party, Roger Monksummers for the Monster Raving Loony William Hill Party, and UKIP candidate Jeremy Nieboer.

When voters go to the polls in Weymouth and Portland they will also be asked to vote in the local elections for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.

There are 36 candidates across 12 of the borough’s 15 wards, with the exception of Radipole, Westham West and Weymouth East.