A BASINGSTOKE father is hoping to give Basingstoke voters an alternative to the main parties on polling day at next month’s General Election.

Dr Elsayed Omar Selim will stand as an Independent candidate for the Basingstoke seat in May and will go up against Conservative Maria Miller, Labour hopeful Paul Harvey, UKIP candidate Alan Stone and Liberal Democrats contender Janice Spalding.

The 73-year-old, who lives in Belle Vue Road, Old Basing, owns a care company, called Qcare – which supports elderly and disabled people in their homes – and a hair salon called Qute Cuts in Belle Vue Road.

The father-of-two, who is originally from Egypt, said: “People should vote for me because I am different and I am offering different things. If elected, I will open an office in Basingstoke town centre because a surgery once a week is not enough in my opinion.”

The future of the NHS and social care will be a priority for Dr Selim if elected.

He added: “They (the NHS) saved my life and that is something I can never forget. I had breathlessness so they rushed me in and I had a pacemaker fitted so without the NHS, I would have been dead.”

He also believes that intelligent children should have the opportunity to access higher education and should receive more financial help if they are from low-income families.

He added: “There are many bright kids and they don’t go to university or achieve things because they are lost. Bright kids should get all the support they need. The poor will lose out if things carry on with the tuition fees.”