Labour and the Tories are in a bitter fight for second votes on the party list ballot.

As the election campaign goes into the final days both parties are vying for second place and to be the official opposition at Holyrood.

The most recent polls put the SNP on course for a majority with an opinion poll for The Herald suggestion 68 seats for Nicola Sturgeon’s party.

It put the Tories on 25 seats down six and Labour on 18 also down six.

It has the Greens up, on nine seats and the LibDems on seven and it suggests Alex Salmond’s Alba Party could win two seats.

The Tories claim the recent polls show Labour are on course for their worst result at Holyrood since devolution but Labour said the Tories are trying to “con” to voters with Anas Sarwar the party leader arguing it is the Tories who are the biggest threat to the union.

Annie Wells , Scottish Conservative candidate for Glasgow, said: “Where I’m from, everyone used to vote Labour. But both of Sunday’s polls show that they are on course for their worst result ever.

“We’ve now seen 20 polls in the last few months confirm a vote for Labour can’t help deliver a Scottish Parliament focused on Scotland’s recovery.

“The fact is that a peach ballot for Labour is a wasted vote if you want to prevent an SNP majority and stop indyref2.

“They have no hope of challenging the SNP on the regional list.

“So I’m asking everyone like me who grew up supporting Labour to lend the Scottish Conservatives their peach ballots.”

Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader, hit back claiming the Tories trying to “con” voters at the elections.

The Scottish Labour leader said a vote for the Tories would be a “get out of jail free card” for Nicola Sturgeon.

He said: “They’re trying to con the Scottish people.

“So what they’re saying is to stop the SNP and to save the union, you need to vote for the Conservative Party.

“But in actual fact, the biggest threat to the UK is in many ways the Conservatives and they are the best get of jail free card for Nicola Sturgeon.

“Don’t be conned by the Tory message about a second vote.

“If you want to focus on what unites - not what divides us - if you want to focus on a national recovery, you need to use your second vote for Labour.”

The LibDems meanwhile argued that more of them elected can prevent an SNP majority in the Scottish Parliament.

Willie Rennie, LibDem leader, said: “By voting for Liberal Democrats MSPs voters on the list, voters can help us cross the finish line and ensure that the next Parliament is packed with MSPs who will focus on education, mental health and the climate emergency, not another independence referendum.

“The peach ballot paper is a proportional voting system so every vote counts to put recovery first.”

The polls open on Thursday at 7am, closing at 10pm with the votes counted on Friday and Saturday.