Leader of Britain's UKIP picked to stand for parliament seat

 The leader of the anti-EU UKIP Nigel Farage is to run for parliament in Britain's 2015 election after his party confirmed him as their candidate for an English constituency, AFP reports.

MEP Farage will campaign for a seat currently held by the Conservative party, South Thanet, in a south eastern region where UKIP performed strongly in European parliament elections in May.

UKIP currently has no seats in parliament, but is hoping to make electoral gains on a platform of curtailing immigration and an exit from the European Union.

Farage was confirmed as the expected choice out of four party candidates in a local hustings event.

Local party members gave Farage thunderous applause and chanted "Nigel, Nigel, Nigel" after he gave his acceptance speech.

Farrage described the fight to win the seat as a "big challenge" but said it was one that he would relish.

"I'm going to have to fight very very hard... but I believe I can do it," Farage told BBC News, saying the Conservative and Labour parties would "fight like crazy" to oppose him.

The Conservative party has chosen a former UKIP leader who defected to their party, Craig MacKinlay, to run for the seat.

UKIP aims to win enough seats to influence the formation of a government in 2015 in the event of a hung parliament.

"UKIP is going to win seats in Westminster next year. I don't know at the moment how many we'll win, but... if things really go well [supporters] will be voting for a party that will hold the balance of power after May 2015," Farage said.

In the previous election in 2010, Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron formed a coalition government with the support of the Liberal Democrats.