Tonight will see Conservative parliamentary candidates battle it out to see who will face Ukip’s Mark Reckless and Labour’s Naushaba Khan in the Rochester and Strood by-election.

Party officials have agreed to a primary selection process, under which any voter who lives in the constituency will be able to vote for the candidate, regardless of whether they belong to the Conservative Party.

This evening’s hustings will see both candidates taking questions from the floor, as well as those sent in by party members.

KentOnline readers can submit questions in the comments section, which will be passed to party officials who will get through as many as possible.

Kelly Tolhurst, a Medway councillor who represents the Rochester West ward and is cabinet member for education, will vie with Sevenoaks councillor Anna Firth in the selection battle.

Ms Tolhurst is a life-long resident of Medway and was elected to the council in 2011.

She is the cabinet member for school improvement, and runs her own marine survey business in Rochester.

In a statement, the Conservative association said she had “seen the strain that excessive immigration has put on housing and our local services.”

Anna Firth lives in Sevenoaks with her husband and three children and was brought up in Essex.

Formerly a barrister, she now serves on Sevenoaks council.

She was shortlisted for the Thanet South constituency but lost out to Craig Mackinlay.

In a statement, she said if elected she would fight for more police on the streets to tackle anti-social behaviour, better health services and a better deal for the armed forces.

The hustings will be held at Rochester’s Corn Exchange and starts at 7.30pm. Admission is free.

The result of the postal ballot will be announced on October 23.

The KM Group’s political editor Paul Francis will be live tweeting the event. Follow him at @PaulOnPolitics and don't forget to submit your questions in the comments.