With nominations now closed for the Westminster general election, 138 candidates have declared to run in Northern Ireland's 18 constituencies.

They are standing before an electorate of 1,260,389 voters, with voting taking place on Thursday, May 7th.

Only three parties are standing candidates in all 18 constituencies – Sinn Féin, the SDLP and Alliance – with the DUP competing in 16 and the Ulster Unionists in 15. Because of the pact agreed between unionist party leaders Peter Robinson and Mike Nesbitt, the UUP is standing aside in East Belfast and North Belfast, while the DUP is not running in Fermanagh and South Tyrone or in Newry and Armagh.

The UUP is also not competing in North Down, where the candidate and outgoing MP is Independent unionist Lady (Sylvia) Hermon.

Winning

The Conservatives are running candidates in all constituencies apart from North Belfast and Fermanagh and South Tyrone, although the odds against them winning a seat are huge.

Eleven of the Tory candidates are from England and Scotland. Ukip has 10 candidates and the Traditional Unionist Voice party has seven. The People Before Profit party is running one candidate, Gerry Carroll, in West Belfast.

The Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol grouping has four candidates, while the Workers’ Party is fielding candidates in North, South and West Belfast and in Upper Bann and Mid Ulster.

In this election, verification and counting of votes will begin after the polls close at 10pm on May 7th in line with counting in Britain.