THE campaign race is on as the countdown continues to the county and general elections on June 7.
With all nominations now closed, candidates in both national and local elections have begun their task of becoming known and publicising their party's manifesto.
Parliamentary candidates for the North East Hampshire constituency James Arbuthnot (Conservative), Mike Plummer (Lib Dem), Barry Jones (Labour) and Graham Mellstrom (UK Independence) began their walkabouts in Bordon and its surrounding villages this week after nominations closed on Tuesday.
The Liberal Democrats and Labour are hoping to eat into Mr Arbuthnot's majority four years ago of 14,398, after a 73 per cent turnout.
However it is the final list of the Hampshire County Council nominations which will raise a few eyebrows and may cause the biggest upset.
The past two county elections have seen a major swing from one party to another.
In 1993 the swing was to the Liberal Democrats as the Tories lost 26 seats and surrendered control of the council for the first time in 100 years.
Four years later there was a u-turn and the county council was back in the hands of the Conservatives.
Among the 1997 upsets was the loss of the Lib Dem stronghold of Bramshott, which was won by Michael Cartwright (Conservative).
The Petersfield seat, which incorporates the villages of Greatham and Hawkley, was won by John West (Conservative) from the Liberal Democrats.
These two seats are expected to be among the most hotly contested in the district, with town and district councillor Zoya Faddy squaring up against Michael Cartwright in a repeat of their 1997 battle.
They will be joined by Labour candidate Peter Dare, who stood as a parliamentary candidate in the last general election.
In the Petersfield ward John West will go up against former district councillor Anne Claxton (Lib Dem) and William Organ (Labour).
The sitting county councillor for the Headley ward, John Filer, will hope to fight off the challenges from Stella Charman (Lib Dem) and Mark Walsh (Labour).
The Medstead and Selborne ward is up for grabs after Peter Andrea (Conservative) decided to stand down after 14 years.
Conservative candidate Sir James Scott will hope to pick up where Peter Andrea left off against the opposition of district councillor Jerry Janes (Lib Dem) and East Hampshire parliamentary candidate Barbara Burfoot (Labour).
Away from the district's wards, Hampshire County Council leader Ken Thornber is hoping to keep his Brockenhurst seat and vice-chairman Alan Rice will hope to keep his Milford and Hordle seat.
Council chairman Freddie Emery-Wallis, who stepped back from his duties earlier this year, is not standing in the the Waterloo and Stakes ward.
p Meet the candidates for the general election - Page 8.