ELECTION candidates are making their final push for votes today.

As voters prepare to go to the polls in Thursday’s snap General Election, the parties battling it out for the three Parliamentary seats in Bolton will be looking to give their campaigns a last-minute boost.

Bolton will be one of the nation’s centres of attention once the polls close tomorrow night, with two high-profile constituencies earmarked as key indicators of who will form the next government.

In the key marginal seat of Bolton West, Conservative Chris Green is hoping to hold onto the constituency he narrowly won by just 801 votes in 2015.

His main challenger is Labour’s Julie Hilling, who previously held the seat from 2010 to 2015.

UKIP’s Martin Tighe and the Lib Dems’ Rebecca Forrest are also contesting the seat.

The Bolton North East seat became a key part of the national election narrative just hours after the snap poll was confirmed in Parliament, as Theresa May launched the Tory campaign from a parish hall in Egerton.

Sir David Crausby, who has held the seat for Labour for the last two decades, has been critical of the Tories’ approach to the campaign.

Sir David, who took part in a BBC Radio Manchester debate with his opponents on Monday night, said: “I have been out speaking to people throughout the campaign and that is what we will continue to do, in contrast to the Conservatives.

“Theresa May has sat in rooms filled with her own supporters, while we have been out there knocking on doors.

“Both nationally and locally, Labour has been out there and the Tories have been hiding inside.”

The Tories’ James Daly, who also stood in Bolton North East in 2015, said: “We will be out knocking on as many doors as possible and delivering leaflets — doing everything we possibly can to persuade people to vote Conservative.

“I think people want a change in Bolton North East and this is their opportunity.”

Lib Dem candidate Warren Fox will be holding two Q&A sessions with voters on Facebook Live in the final hours of his campaign.

He said: “I will be out in all seven wards in Bolton North East before polls open to make sure that people know that they can elect an MP like me who lives locally, works locally, shops locally, and is passionate about Bolton.”

Green candidate Liz Spencer and UKIP’s Harry Lamb are also contesting Bolton North East.

In the traditional Labour stronghold of Bolton North East, Labour’s Yasmin Qureshi is looking to secure a third term in office.

She is being challenged by Conservative Sarah Pochin, Liberal Democrat Frank Harasiwka, the Green Party’s Alan Johnson, and UKIP’s Jeff Armstrong.

Mr Armstrong, who polled almost 10,000 votes in 2015, is due to be speaking to voters outside Asda Farnworth today, weather permitting.

He said: “I think that most of our work has been done at this point in the campaign and I am confident that our vote will be up again.

“Even if we don’t win seats, I am confident that UKIP voters will help to elect the kind of people we want to see in power.”

Mr Johnson said: “This election has very much been red versus blue, and that is why we will continue to fight in future for a truly democratic voting system whichever government is in power on Friday.

“What we have found is that — for a number of different reasons — people are fed up with what the Tory government has done and aren’t very sure about what Labour would do.”

Polling stations close at 10pm and the first ballot boxes will arrive at Bolton Town Hall shortly after that.

The results for Bolton North East and Bolton South East will be declared by the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Roger Hayes, and results for Bolton West will be declared by Margaret Asquith, the acting returning officer and Bolton Council’s chief executive.

THESE are the 14 candidates standing for election in Bolton’s constituencies tomorrow:

BOLTON SOUTH EAST

Yasmin Qureshi, Labour

Sarah Pochin, Conservatives

Frank Harasiwka, Liberal Democrats

Jeff Armstrong, UKIP

Alan Johnson, Green Party

BOLTON NORTH EAST

Sir David Crausby, Labour

James Daly, Conservatives

Warren Fox, Liberal Democrats

Harry Lamb, UKIP

Liz Spencer, Green Party

BOLTON WEST

Chris Green, Conservatives

Julie Hilling, Labour

Rebecca Forrest, Liberal Democrats

Martin Tighe, UKIP

Visit theboltonnews.co.uk to follow our live coverage of all the latest news and reaction from the election count at Bolton Town Hall through the night, starting at 10pm on Thursday when the polls close.