The SNP has placed its faith in a roster of high-profile Yes campaigners as it seeks to smash Labour's stranglehold on Scottish seats at Westminster.

Among a number of key candidate selections made by local parties, Natalie McGarry, a founder of the Women for Independence campaign group, was chosen to stand against Labour's shadow Scottish secretary Margaret Curran in Glasgow East.

Dr Philippa Whitford, another leading voice in the Yes campaign, was selected to fight the Central Ayrshire seat and QC Joanna Cherry, a founder of Lawyers for Yes, will contest Edinburgh South West, the seat vacated by Alistair Darling.

Michelle Thomson and Richard Arkless, both prominent members of the Business for Scotland campaign group, have also been named as candidates.

SNP leader and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has set her party the goal of winning the General Election in Scotland by taking more seats than Labour.

At present the Nationalists have six of Scotland's 59 MPs to Labour's 41. However, a recent Ipsos Mori poll for STV gave the SNP a 28-point lead over Jim Murphy's party, giving it a projected 55 seats on May 7.

Only four four Labour seats - Glasgow North East, Glasgow South West, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, and Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill - would survive the rout if the swing to SNP is repeated across the country.

Ms McGarry hopes to overturn Ms Curran's 11,840 majority in the east end of Glasgow.

On winning the selection, she tweeted she would be "working my bahookie off" and warned: "Glasgow East, be ready, we are going to have an epic campaign. It's time to challenge Labour's neglect and Curran's abysmal voting record."

The partner of Glasgow Tory councillor David Meikle, she lost last year's Cowdenbeath Holyrood by-election to Labour's Alex Rowley, as the SNP's share of the vote fell 13 per cent.

However, Labour fear privately that Glasgow East is vulnerable. Ms Curran suffered a humiliating by-election defeat to the SNP in 2008 before taking the seat at the last General Election two years later.

Unison activist Chris Stephens was chosen to stand against Labour's Ian Davidson in Glasgow South West.

He ran former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont close in Glasgow Pollok at the last Holyrood election but has to overturn a 14,671 majority in May. He finished a distant second to Mr Davidson in 2010.

Philippa Whitford will take on Brian Donohoe in Central Ayrshire, where the Labour MP is defending a 10,423 majority.

A consultant breast surgeon at Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, she spearheaded a controversial referendum campaign warning the Scottish NHS faced privatisation unless the country became independent.

Michelle Thomson, former managing director of Business for Scotland, was selected ahead of former Hearts footballer and Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart to contest Edinburgh West, the seat held by Lib Dem Mike Crockart who is defending a 3803 majority.

Lawyer Joanna Cherry beat blogger and activist Kate Higgins to stand in Edinburgh West, where the former Chancellor secured an 8447 majority four years ago, pushing the Nationalists into fourth place.

In Kilmarnock and Loudon, Labour Treasury spokeswoman and former Holyrood minister Cathy Jamieson will face a challenge from East Ayrshire councillor Alan Brown, who is aiming to overturn her 12,378 majority.

Stranraer businessman Richard Arkless was chosen by the SNP to fight Dumfries and Galloway, where Labour's Russell Brown is defending a 7449 majority over the Conservatives.

The SNP have already chosen Carol Monaghan to stand against John Robertson in another Labour stronghold, Glasgow North West, while councillor Alison Thewliss will challenge Anas Sarwar in the Glasgow Central constituency.

The Ipsos Mori survey put support for the SNP on 52 per cent, ahead of Labour on 24 per cent.

The findings suggests the Liberal Democrats, on four per cent, and the Conservatives, on 12 per cent, would be left without any Scottish MPs.

During a visit to Glasgow on Thursday, Labour leader Ed Miliband said he was determined to hold all of Labour's seats in Scotland.