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David Cameron has claimed he "has the momentum now" as the parties begin the final few days of campaigning ahead of Thursday's general election.The latest opinion polls suggest the Tories would be the largest party but would fall short of a majority.
Labour's Lord Mandelson accused Mr Cameron of being "desperate to give the impression he is home and dry" but said "voters were resisting his soft soap".
Meanwhile the Lib Dems have accused the Tories of being "in hock to the City".
The three largest parties have stepped up their rhetoric - and their campaigning efforts - in what remains the closest election in decades.
An ICM poll for the Guardian puts the Conservatives on 33%, with Labour and the Lib Dems level-pegging on 28%, while YouGov for the Sun has the Conservatives on 34%, the Lib Dems on 29%, and Labour on 28%.
'Fairer society'
Conservative sources dismissed as "speculation" newspaper reports that Mr Cameron has ruled out a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, if his party fails to win enough seats to gain a working majority.
The Daily Telegraph and the Guardian both report that the Tory leader would attempt to form a minority government instead, with the support of Unionist MPs.
Senior Conservative sources, quoted in the Guardian, say Mr Cameron would set out his plans and "dare" Labour and the Lib Dems to provoke a second election this year by voting down the Queen's Speech, planned for 25 May, or an emergency budget in July.
Mr Cameron is not speaking publicly about any possible post-election deals, stressing instead his determination to win an outright majority on Thursday.
"I think we've got some momentum now to go through these last few days and say if you want a new prime minister, a new team, a new government on Friday, then vote Conservative on Thursday and we can make the changes the country needs," Mr Cameron told the BBC on a campaign visit to Cornwall.
The Conservatives are expected to set out plans later for new rules aimed at forcing listed companies to hire more female directors, proposals to close the gender pay gap and set up mentoring schemes for female and ethnic minority entrepreneurs.
Not 'home and dry'
In a "contract for equalities", Work and Pensions spokeswoman Theresa May will say: "A Conservative government will use every lever to tear down the barriers that are holding too many people back. We will make Britain a fairer society for all."
Labour leader Gordon Brown is also expected to stress his commitment to fairness as he hits the campaign trail in marginal seats.
Labour's election supremo, Lord Mandelson, has accused Mr Cameron of being "desperate to give the impression that he is home and dry and all that's required is to weigh the Tory vote", but he said the "overwhelming majority of voters are firmly resisting his soft soap campaign".
He added: "The big story of the election is that the Tories blew their lead at the beginning of this race and are still not winning it back."
He said that only Labour could stop Mr Cameron entering Downing Street, while the Lib Dems would "hand power to him on a plate".
The Lib Dems will turn their fire on the Conservatives later on Monday, claiming the party has become "nearly four times as dependent on the City of London" for its funding since Mr Cameron took over as leader.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg will say: "The Conservative Party will never reform the banks and rebuild our economy because they are completely in hock to the City of London.
"Only the Liberal Democrats have a positive plan to put money back in the pockets of ordinary people, close the unfair loopholes for people at the top and take on the banks so they never again hold a gun to our heads and put ordinary people out of work," he will add.
The BBC's Political Correspondent Ross Hawkins said the three leaders would also address the same audience at a citizens forum event in London, although they will not share the stage at the same time.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.