GALASHIELS-born Calum Kerr is in the running to become the SNP candidate for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk at the General Election.

Mr Kerr, 42, who now lives at Cardrona, is one of three hopefuls shortlisted to challenge sitting Lib Dem MP Michael Moore on May 7.

The others are Ash Regan-Denham from Stow and Alex Wilson from Duns.

The trio set out their stall at a hustings meeting in Greenlaw on Sunday, having attended similar events in Galashiels and Hawick the previous weekend.

It was their last chance to impress the 1,240 SNP supporters who were registered as party members before December 3 last year and are thus eligible to take part in the selection process.

The deadline for online and postal votes is February 4 and the successful candidate is expected to be announced later that day.

Father-of-three Mr Kerr, who was chairman of the Yes Scottish Borders campaign in the run-up to the Independence referendum, works as a telecommunications consultant. He is also secretary of his party’s Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale constituency association.

He said he was “absolutely delighted” to have been nominated for the candidature against Mr Moore who is defending a 5,675 majority and whose closest rival in 2010 - the Conservative MSP John Lamont (Conservative) – will re-oppose.

Also challenging is Kendryck Lloyd-Jones representing Labour which finished third last time, just ahead of the SNP’s Paul Wheelhouse – now an MSP - who polled 9.2% of the vote.

Mr Kerr admitted that winning the seat would be “a remarkable turnaround” but he genuinely believed it was possible.

“The hustings were lively and marked by a mixture of determination and optimism,” he told the Border Telegraph this week.

“Both Mr Moore and Mr Lamont have been saying that the vote in May will be a two-horse race, but everyone knows that is not the case.

“Not only has SNP membership increased fourfold in the Borders since the referendum, the party is very different and much better organised than it was in 2010.

“Another big factor of course is that people across the constituency feel betrayed by Mr Moore and his Lib Dem colleagues who for the past five years have supported Tory policies on austerity, tuition fees and savage welfare reforms.” Mr Kerr’s rivals for the SNP ticket were also closely involved with the Independence campaign.

Businessman Mr Wilson, a community councillor in Duns, headed the Yes Berwickshire group while Ms Regan-Denham, a member of Yes Galashiels, was a prominent speaker for the Women for Indepedence movement.

She also chaired the packed-out public meeting featuring then Depute First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in the Volunteer Hall, Galashiels.

Confirmed Labour candidate Mr Lloyd-Jones is an Edinburgh-based public affairs consultant. In the 2011 Scottish parliamentary elections, he was one of his party’s unsuccessful candidates for the South of Scotland.