The polls in Glasgow North East have opened.

Voters in the constituency will spend the day on Thursday deciding who they want to represent them in Westminster.

The by-election in the area was sparked by the resignation of Michael Martin. It came after he received criticism over his handling of the expenses scandal which rocked British politics.

Thirteen candidates will be hoping to become his replacement. They are:

Charlie Baillie, British National Party
Willie Bain, Scottish Labour Party
Eileen Baxendale, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Mev Brown, Independent
Colin Campbell, The Individuals Labour and Tory (TILT)
Ruth Davidson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
David Doherty, Scottish Green Party
Mikey Hughes
David Kerr, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Louise McDaid, Socialist Labour Party
Kevin McVey, Scottish Socialist Party – Make Greed History
Tommy Sheridan, Solidarity – Scotland’s Socialist Movement
John David Smeaton, Jury Team

STV will have comprehensive coverage of the event.

On television, a Politics Now Special will begin at 11.05pm. It will bring viewers in-depth analysis and reports throughout the night.

stv.tv will also be covering the by-election at the count in Glasgow’s SECC.

Join us for all the action on television and online at www.stv.tv/byelection.