LIBERAL Democrat leader Nick Clegg tried to undermine a Conservative election strategy in the Westcountry by insisting that his party was not a "wasted" vote.

In his keynote speech at the close of the Lib-Dem conference in Birmingham yesterday, Mr Clegg suggested the party was in fact a small step from emerging as the dominant force in the House of Commons.

The line can be interpreted as a counterpoint to the Tories asking Lib-Dem supporters to "lend" them their vote as they have a more realistic chance of seizing power.

The region is seen as a key election battleground. On a uniform national swing, the Conservatives need to seize nine Westcountry seats currently under Lib-Dem control in order to achieve a Commons majority of just one.

But Mr Clegg said yesterday: "Almost one in four voters chose the Liberal Democrats at the last election. If that increased to one in three, we could lead the next government.

"This election is a time for voters to choose, not a time for politicians to play footsie with each other. The party which gets the strongest mandate from the voters will have the moral authority to be the first to seek to govern."

He pointed to the fact that 32 per cent of people did not vote for Labour or the Tories at the last General Election as evidence that the two-party system was giving way.

As expectations of a hung Parliament grew, the Lib-Dem leader also sought to kill talk of a post-election deal with the Tories amid signs it would provoke an angry backlash from his party.

With many privately saying that a majority would not support Mr Clegg if he entered a formal coalition with the Tories, he declared: "I am not the kingmaker. The 45 million voters of Britain are the kingmakers. They give politicians their marching orders, not the other way round."

Former party leader Lord Ashdown, who is fronting the party's election campaign in the Westcountry, said he had never known the Lib-Dems in such confident mood.

The former Yeovil MP rejected assertions that Mr Clegg was in a weak position ahead of the election and criticised media speculation about a hung Parliament.

"It's a wonderful position," he said. "I have never known the party to be in a better position before an election. I have never known the party to be so united behind its leader. That was a cracking speech, certainly the best he has given."

Lord Ashdown said media speculation about a hung Parliament was "boring" voters and going against the "national mood".

"If you really want to play Mystic Meg and look at the polls and the crystal ball, we can do that, but I don't think it's what the voters want."

However, two new national polls yesterday showed that Mr Clegg was well short of winning a third of the popular vote. According to ICM, Lib-Dems were on 21 per cent, and according to YouGov just 17 per cent. The polls also indicated that the Tories' lead over Labour – respectively at four points and seven points – was not enough to guarantee Mr Cameron a clear majority.