Key battleground
Date published: 21 April 2010
ELECTION 2010
OLDHAM is a key battleground for political parties looking to snatch seats from Labour in the General Election.
Voters will have 17 candidates to choose from on May 6 after the deadline for nominations closed at 4pm yesterday.
Labour was triumphant in all three seats five years ago — Oldham East and Saddleworth, Oldham West and Royton and Ashton — as the party clung to power.
But a resurgent Lib-Dems —boosted by leader Nick Clegg’s sudden surge in popularity and Conservatives are threatening Labour’s stronghold.
Labour Minister Phil Woolas made it a hat-trick of wins in 2005, having seized his seat from the Lib-Dems in 1997, but his majority of 3,590 over them makes it a key marginal. Former Rochdale councillor Elwyn Watkins is aiming to take the seat back for the Lib-Dems.
Conservative Kashif Ali is also looking to make gains, while also standing are Alwyn Stott, a well-known BNP candidate from Shaw who has stood before in local elections, David Bentley for UKIP and Gulzar Nazir for the Christian Party.
Michael Meacher is going for his 11th election victory in Oldham West and Royton, which he has held since 1970, and has a large majority of 10,454.
Last time out Mr Meacher’s majority was eroded by nearly 3,000 and Conservative Kamran Ghafoor will be aiming for an even greater swing in his favour against Oldham’s longest-serving MP in history.
The Lib-Dems will also be challenging hard with Oldham Council cabinet member Mark Alcock standing.
The Respect Party, an anti-war party set up in 2004 and led by George Galloway, are also represented by Shahid Miah, while David Joines stands for the BNP and Helen Roberts for UKIP.
Former Oldham Councillor David Heyes has a huge majority of nearly 14,000 after taking the Ashton seat in 2001.
The constituency covers parts of Hollinwood and Failsworth and the other candidates are Paul Larkin (Liberal Democrat), Seema Kennedy (Conservative), David Lomas (BNP) and Angela McManus (UKIP).
Catch up the with candidates at www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/elections/
