The list of nominations for election was published last night see here.
It is heartening to see that there is no shortage of candidates with 129 nominees chasing 60 seats.
The big battles look like being fought in the following three-seat wards each with eight candidates:
Axminster
Budleigh & Raleigh (readers might be surprised at this but Budleigh has form for kicking the Tories out eg 2003)
Cranbrook
Exmouth Brixington
Ottery St Mary
In contrast, there are straight fights in these single seat wards:
Exe Valley (between Lib Dem and Consevatives)
Feniton (between Conservatives and Greens)
Newton Poppleford (between Independent and Conservatives – don’t Tories ever learn?)
Sidmouth Rural (between Independent and Conservative)
Tale Valley (between Lib Dem and Conservative)
Trinity Ward (between Lib Dem and Conservative)
Whimple & Rockbeare (between Lib Dem and Conservative)
East Devon Watch 
Readers may not be so surprised at the inclusion of Budleigh and Raleigh as a battleground. As you say, an Independent was elected in 2019; what you did not say was that the successful Indy (Paul Jarvis) actually topped the poll. Bearing in mind that Claire Wright did particularly well in Budleigh at the December 2019 General Election, that well respected long serving Tory Councillors Alan Dent and Tom Wright are retiring, and that local Indy candidates Charlotte Fitzgerald and Mel Martin are working hard – there will be a very interesting result on 4 May.
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