Labour today named three seats in the district as being among its national battle grounds.

Supporters have been told by their national party that their votes can make a difference in volatile Bradford West, and the key marginal seats of Shipley and Keighley.

And none of the three are included in a list of safe seats predicted by the Electoral Reform Society today.

But the district's five Labour MPs face challenges from at least Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and British National Party contenders as they go on to the hustings when Parliament is dissolved on Monday.

And Bradford-- as one of Britain's major cities - can expect visits from a trail of national top politicians until election day on June 7.

In the 1997 election, Bradford West MP Marsha Singh took his Labour seat with a 3,877 majority, compared to the 9,502 majority enjoyed by his predecessor Max Madden.

There was a huge Labour victory in Shipley when Chris Leslie ousted Sir Marcus Fox, the Tory chairman of its influential 1922 Committee, by about 3,000 votes.

In Keighley Ann Cryer beat former Tory MP Gary Waller by more than 7,000 votes and became only the second woman to win the seat.

The full list of nominations for the three constituencies will not be known until the deadline on May 22 but all the district's sitting MPs are contesting their seats.

The first political point scoring started today when Keighley Tory contender Simon Cooke said: "This reaction from the Labour party of putting the constituency as a battleground shows just now unpopular Labour is in Keighley. We have policies which appeal to people in Keighley and Ilkley and want to give them a stronger voice."

Liberal Democrat candidate Mike Doyle said: "It has been a Tory/Labour marginal for a very long time and we offer a way off the seesaw through high-quality public services and a thriving economy".

But Mrs Cryer said: "Keighley is a marginal seat and the way I will get back is if people vote. If people are complacent they might not get another MP who is so approachable. The votes of 3,000 people can make the difference."

Bradford West Labour MP Marsha Singh said: "There were some very unusual features in the 1997 election - a very bitter selection battle and all kinds of perceived problems." He said he had worked hard in the constituency, dealing with more than 4,000 cases and building trust and confidence.

But his Tory opponent, Mohammed Riaz, said: "I lost last time simply because of the 'stay away' factor on polling day. Labour was very lucky and fortunate and we will definitely win this time." He said he was not surprised Labour saw it as a battleground.

Bradford West Liberal Democrat candidate Abdul Rauf Khan said the time had come for some fresh approaches to politics in Bradford. "There has been some very unhealthy emphasis on religion, caste and creed in the past," he added.

Shipley MP Chris Leslie said it would be a close fight in the town. "I am confident, but not complacent. We have made a good start locally and I have been active in both local and national issues," he said.

Tory candidate David Senior said his party's policies including putting more police on the beat, improving schools and hospitals, increasing pensions and tackling asylum issues were going down well on the doorsteps.

And Helen Wright, standing for the Liberal Democrats in Shipley, said: "We are doing very well and have increased our numbers of Shipley councillors by two since the last General Election."