New York primary: Donald Trump looking for landslide in crucial home state contest

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are also competing in the New York primary

Polls suggest Mr Trump could win by as many as 30 points (AP)

Donald Trump is looking for a landslide victory in his home state of New York as he continues to accuse his nearest Republican rival of “selling himself” to party bosses to try and block his nomination.

On the day before a vote that is expected to help Mr Trump regain his momentum after several faltering weeks, an average of polls put him as far of 30 points ahead of his rivals. The same polls showed a closer Democratic race, with Senator Bernie Sanders looking to narrow in on Hillary Clinton’s lead of more than 10 points.

All five remaining presidential candidates continued to push for votes on Monday, with Mr Trump and Mr Sanders organising large, eve-of-vote rallies, the Vermont senator in New York city and the reality television host in the upstate town of Buffalo.

Follow live coverage of the New York primary

Mr Trump spent much of the weekend denouncing his rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich, and in particular attacking Mr Cruz’s securing of Wyoming’s 14 delegates in a process in which party officials, rather than ordinary voters, chose those representatives for the party’s summer convention. Mr Trump said the system - which mirrored that used in both Colorado and North Dakota - was “rigged”.

Mr Sanders attracted up to 30,000 supporters to a rally in Brooklyn (AP)

On Monday, Mr Trump kept up his attack. On Twitter, he accused Mr Cruz of being used by the Republican party’s establishment.

“Lyin’ Ted Cruz can’t win with the voters so he has to sell himself to the bosses - I am millions of VOTES ahead! Hillary would destroy him & K,” he said.

Mr Cruz is trying to stop Mr Trump securing the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination before the party’s convention in Cleveland in July.

Mr Clinton is leading Mr Sanders by more than 10 points (AP)

Many observers believe neither Mr Trump or Mr Cruz will manage to win a clean majority ahead of the event, opening the way for a so-called “contested convention”.

Mr Cruz on Monday spoke of his belief that he could halt Mr Trump’s ambitions if it came to a vote at the convention.

“In all likelihood, we’re going to go to a contested convention,” Mr Cruz said on ABC. “I believe Donald’s highest total will be on that first ballot, and he will go steadily down.”

He said that he believed Mr Trump would not be nominated because Republican knew he could not beat Ms Clinton.

Ted Cruz believes he can stop Mr Trump securing the nomination (AP)

“The stakes are too high for us to hand the election to Hillary Clinton, which is what nominating Donald Trump would do. I don’t believe that Donald is going to be the nominee,” he added.

An average of polls collated by Real Clear Politics puts Mr Trump on 53 points, ahead of Ohio Governor John Kasich on 23 and Mr Cruz on 18.

He needs to win 60 per cent of the remaining delegates available to avoid a contested convention. There are 95 Republican delegates available in New York, awarded on a somewhat complicated county-wide basis.

It is possible Mr Trump, who has endured a faltering fortnight and defeats in Colorado, Wyoming and Wisconsin, could scoop all 95 delegates. If that were the case, it would fill the sails of his campaign as he looks ahead to contests in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, where he also hopes to do well.

“It’s very important for Trump to win, it’s very important for him to win his home state and to try and get as many delegates as possible,”

Robert Shapiro, Professor of Government at Columbia University, told The Independent.

The battle between the Democrats is no less important and there are 247 delegates in New York to be divided between Ms Clinton and Mr Sanders on a proportional basis. Ms Clinton currently leads Mr Sanders in the delegate count 1,289 - 1,045.

Both have close links to the state - Mr Sanders was born in Brooklyn while Ms Clinton served eight years as senator - and the pair have campaigned with vigour and passion.

Mr Sanders on Sunday held a huge rally in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, where he attracted up to 30,000 people, the biggest crowd yet during the campaign.

“We do not represent the interests of Wall Street or the billionaires class or corporate America. We don”t want their money. We’re going to do it a different way,” he told the crowd