5 storylines that will define the election

Plus: E-Night play-by-play and afterparty agenda

ABOVE THE FOLD

It’s the final countdown. After 29 days on the hustings, Ontario’s 43rd election comes to an end tonight. Here are the top five storylines to look out for.

1. A BITTER SWING FOR SECOND — With DOUG FORD and the PCs leading in every single public-opinion poll (more on that below), the NDP and Liberals are locked in a bitter battle for second place.

Both NDPer ANDREA HORWATH and the Grits’ STEVEN DEL DUCA are attempting to woo swing voters, pitching their parties as the only one that can challenge Ford’s frontrunner status. Despite being aligned on many policy promises, they’ve spent almost as much energy sniping at each other as they have attacking Ford.

In battleground Brampton — one stop on the last leg of her tour that included mostly PC-held ridings — Horwath said: “If people want a Premier that’s on their side, that works for them each and every day, this time, if they vote NDP they’ll get that Premier and we’ll defeat Doug Ford.”

Over in NDP territory of Humber Rive…