VOTERS in Brecon and Radnorshire appear once more to be having a major say in determining the next UK Government.

Since the 1985 by-election the seat has been a battle ground between the Liberals (now the Liberal Democrats) and Conservatives - the two parties that formed the 2010 coalition government.

Prime Minister David Cameron has made two visits to the constituency, including a quick eve of poll dash to Talgarth and Crickhowell. His presence is a sure sign the Conservatives see the seat as a real potential gain for their candidate Chris Davies.

Conservative leader Mr Cameron has sought to hammer home the message Brecon and Radnorshire is one of 'just' 23 constituencies his party needs to gain that elusive Commons majority. The figure is based on adding to the 307 seats the party won in 2010 but that doesn't account for any losses this morning.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, the deputy PM to Mr Cameron for the past five years, has also visited the constituency in which the party is determined to return Roger Williams as MP and keep the seat from falling into Conservative hands

The coalition turned the conventional wisdom of the constituency on its head.

Tactical voting, to keep out a Conservative government, has also long been a suspected feature of local election battles.

However the 2010 general election saw Roger Williams elected for a third term, but he and his Lib Dem colleagues unexpectedly found themselves on the government benches - and sat next to the Conservatives.

As a result Mr Williams is the first candidate from a governing party to defend Brecon and Radnorshire since Jonathan Evans was ousted by the late Liberal Democrat Richard Livsey in 1997. The Conservative had captured the seat from Mr Livsey at the 1992 general election and his majority of 130 was the sixth smallest across the UK.

That election was also the last time the Conservatives had won a majority government.

Lib Dem Mr Williams is defending a majority of 3,747 over the Conservatives but based on a uniform national swing polls have the seat falling to the Tories.

The latest Welsh opinion poll, for ITV Wales and released this Wednesday, has also shown the Tories could take Brecon and Radnorshire - but also found a small uplift in support across Wales for the Lib Dems. The party will take comfort and hope its support is most resilient in what has become something of a stronghold seat.

Mr Williams' supporters will also take confidence from his electoral record. He beat Tory Felix Aubel by 751 in a 2001 nail biter to succeed the retiring Mr Livsey and posted a 3,905 majority when he defended the seat for the first time in 2005.

Former veterinary practice manager Mr Davies, who has been the chief horse steward at the Royal Welsh Show, contested the seat for the Conservatives at the 2011 Welsh Assembly elections. Mr Davies, a Powys County Councillor for Glasbury, polled 9,444 votes - an about average performance for a Conservative Assembly candidate in Brecon and Radnorshire.

That election also saw Welsh Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams' majority reduced for the first time and an increase in the Labour vote.

During the campaign the Tory and his team - including everyone from David Cameron down - have been stressing that electing him is the surest way of ensuring the Conservatives have 10 Downing Street to themselves.

Mr Williams and the Lib Dems have been pushing a similar message, claiming other parties are out of the race and only he can beat the Tories here.

The Lib Dems, from Mr Clegg down, have been keen to stress the qualities they believe they can add to either a Conservative or Labour led government and that Brecon and Radnorshire can be a buffer between the Tories and the 323 seats required for an overall majority.

The 'vote Roger to keep the Tories out' line has, as expected, angered the Labour and Plaid Cymru candidates. Labour's Matthew Dorrance, a county councillor from Brecon, and Plaid's Freddy Greaves have sought to remind anyone who voted Lib Dem to keep the Tories out in 2010 that Mr Cameron has been sitting comfortable as the PM.

For his part Mr Williams has made no attempt to shy away from coalition - and has previously said he hopes the party will be given credit for helping form a stable government after no party won a majority in 2010.

As the polls have shown a similar outcome today it has opened the door for a number of other parties to state their potential influence on the next government.

Plaid Cymru, the Green Party and UKIP have all trailed third placed Labour by a very long way in Brecon and Radnorshire, with Labour having finished a distant third since 2005.

We will soon find out if the increased profile of their leaders taking part in the televised debate has translate to additional support for local candidates Mr Greaves and Chris Carmichael, who has already won a seat for the Greens on Llandrindod Town Council.

Will Brecon and Radnorshire prove fertile ground for the parties in a constituency that has traditionally boasted some of the highest voter turnouts across the UK?

The readiness of local voters to turn up at polling stations may be explained by the fact that 24 per cent are aged 65 or older.

UKIP is perhaps the 'minor party' with the most cause for optimism. The anti-European Union party topped the poll across all of Powys at last May's European Parliament election and very nearly beat Labour to first place overall in the Wales wide constituency.

It should be noted however that even Powys voters are unlikely to cast their Euro ballots, just 37 per cent did so last year.

Candidate Darran Thomas was selected by the party's Welsh executive in place of Clive Easton, who had fought the seat in 2010. Party chiefs claimed there were irregularities in how the local branch had adopted Mr Easton - the resulting row saw the party's Brecon and Radnorshire executive suspended on mass. How such internal wrangling will play out with voters - and whether it has held back Mr Thomas' campaign - remains to be seen.

One footnote of electoral history is that 2015 is likely to be the last time an electoral count is held at the Pavilion in Llandrindod Wells. Powys County Council has already announced it will look to sell the building next month.

While the result of the Brecon and Radnorshire contest will be known at the Pavilion it may take some time for the next UK government to emerge.