LABOUR is defending the most seats in Blackburn with Darwen as it looks to regain the control it lost in 2007.

Although this makes its task harder, there are still plenty of key battlegrounds, with 21 councillors out of 64 up for election.

The town hall is currently run by a coalition of Conservative, Liberal Democrat and For Darwen councillors.

However, the balance of power is by no means set in stone after the For Darwen Party rebelled against their coalition partners at last week’s full council meeting. Talks are likely to take place after Friday’s count.

Labour, the biggest single party, has accused the Tories and Lib Dems of ‘not offering voters a choice’ by not standing against each other in 10 of the 14 seats in Blackburn.

But the two parties insist no deal has been done and are contesting every seat in Darwen.

It is Labour that has the most to lose on May 6, with 11 of its councillors under threat, compared to five Tories and four Lib Dems.

One key battle will be in Shear Brow, where former Liberal Democrat Arif Waghat is standing against his former party.

In Darwen, Labour’s Dave Smith will be looking to return to the town hall by winning the Sunnyhurst seat of former colleague Dave Hollings.

The Tories are targeting Fernhurst, where English Democrat Michael Johnson is standing down. Labour is hopeful of ousting Lib Dem Sajid Ali in Bastwell, while the Lib Dems have their eye on the seat of Labour’s John Wright in Corporation Park.

Labour, which has 28 councillors, would need to gain four seats from the Tories, Lib Dems or For Darwen to take control of the council.

BALANCE OF POWER: Lab 28, Con 18, Lib Dem 11, For Darwen, 5, Eng Dem, one, Ind one.

SEATS UP FOR GRABS: 14 WILL IT CHANGE HANDS? Unlikely but not impossible.

Full list of candidates

Audley

Saadat Ali, Independent
Salim Lorgat, Liberal Democrat
Salim Sidat, Labour.

Bastwell

Parwaiz Akhtar, Labour
Saj Ali, Liberal Democrat.

Beardwood With Lammack

James Hunt Hirst, Conservatives
Ashley Richard Whalley, Labour.

Corporation Park

Ismail Ibrahim Patel, Independent
Ansar Rafiq, Liberal Democrat
John Wright, Labour.

East Rural

Frank Davis, Labour
Brian Dunning, Liberal Democrat
Nella Angela Melia, For Darwen
Julie Helen Slater, Conservatives.

Ewood

Lee Andrew Black, Conservatives
Florence Oldfield, Labour.

Fernhurst

Denise Gee, Conservatives
Wilf Helliwell, For Darwen
Annette Clare Murphy, Labour
Daniel Wilson, Liberal Democrat.

Higher Croft

Darren Jeal, British Jobs For British People
Andy Kay, Labour
Paul Marrow, Conservatives.

Little Harwood

Asghar Ali, Conservatives
Abu Lorgat, Liberal Democrat
Pat Mcfall, Labour.

Livesey With Pleasington

Katie Louise Haworth, Labour
John Pearson, Conservatives.

Marsh House

Frank Connor, Labour
Stephen Francis Potter, For Darwen
Neil Andrew Slater, Conservatives
Chris Thayne, Liberal Democrat.

Meadowhead

Carl Peter Nuttall, Labour
Konrad Tapp, Conservatives.

Mill Hill

Alan Dean, Liberal Democrat
Robin James Evans, A Fair Deal For British People
James Kenyon, Conservatives
Jim Smith, Labour.

Queen's Park

Faraz Ali, Liberal Democrat
Salim Mulla, Labour.

Roe Lee

David Pearson, Conservatives
Phil Riley, Labour.

Shadsworth With Whitebirk

Lorraine Chesterton, Conservatives
Glenn Evans, British Jobs For British Workers
Tony Humphrys, Labour.

Shear Brow

Zah Hussain, Conservatives
Hanif Musa Patel, Liberal Democrat
Shahabuddin Solkar, Labour
Arif Waghat, Independent.

Sudell

Heather Ashurst, For Darwen
Mark Davies, Liberal Democrat
Eileen Entwistle, Labour
Angela Lee, Conservatives.

Sunnyhurst

David John Collier, Conservatives
John East, Liberal Democrat
Martin Frederick Mccaughran, For Darwen
Dave Smith, Labour.

Wensley Fold

Mohammed Khan, Labour
Naseer Sajid, Conservatives.

Whitehall

Andrew Baker, Conservatives
David Foster, Liberal Democrat
Joan Helliwell, For Darwen
Brian Taylor, Labour.