BLAENAU Gwent will be one of the most keenly-observed election battles in Wales, if not Britain.

Labour now face the real prospect of losing one of their safest seats in the House of Commons which has previously been represented by legends of the movement such as Michael Foot and Aneurin Bevan.

The reason for what could be potentially one of the biggest swings ever seen in British politics (Labour triumphed with a 19,313 majority at the 2001 polls) is not because of the Iraq war, concerns over the future of the NHS or immigration policy, but because of a controversial candidate selection policy imposed on the constituency by the National Executive Committee of the party.

When the popular and outspoken Blaenau Gwent MP Llew Smith announced he would be standing down before the 2005 General Election, many believed the area's Assembly Member, Peter Law, to be his natural successor.

However, the party's hierarchy had other ideas and decided a woman candidate would stand in Blaenau Gwent to counteract the dominance of men in Welsh politics.

This policy outraged many in the grassroots of the Labour party in Blaenau Gwent who wanted to be able to choose Llew Smith's successor without constraint.

Such was the depth of feeling in Blaenau Gwent, the selection of former trade union official Maggie Jones as the area's candidate was boycotted en masse.

Following a year and a half of deliberation, Peter Law announced earlier this month he would stand as an independent candidate against Maggie Jones and was subsequently expelled from the Labour Party.

No sooner had he made his dramatic announcement, than he withdrew after being diagnosed with a brain tumour after collapsing at his home. A successful operation and speedy recovery saw Mr Law throw his hat back into the ring just a fortnight later.

But some of the other candidates involved in the contest are hopeful the split within the Labour movement will see them elected by the back door.

As well as crime and the health service, hot issues in the constituency are set to centre around efforts to regenerate the steel and mining area which has yet to recover from thousands of job losses.

The closure of the Corus tinplate works in Ebbw Vale was a major blow for the local economy.

Work is now under way to regenerate the site, and there are hopes that the new Ebbw Vale to Cardiff rail link, followed by the link to Newport, will bring prosperity back into the area.