The leaders of the smaller parties have urged voters to embrace a new politics as they went head to head in the final televised showdown.
Neither David Cameron or Nick Clegg is taking part in the televised showdown, however, Ed Miliband will be on the stage for the 90-minute programme.
The men will be outweighed by the women as Mr Miliband will be joined by UKIP leader Nigel Farage, the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon, Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood and the Green Party's Natalie Bennett.
Ahead of the "Challengers' Debate", the Labour leader accused Mr Cameron of "failing to turn up for a job interview" and said the British people expected more.
Mr Cameron refused to do the debate, while Mr Clegg complained he was not invited and argued the event would be "lopsided" without him.
The debate comes at the end of a week in which the main parties launched their manifestos - the SNP is expected to reveal their policies next week.
Opening statements
Opening the Challengers' Debate, Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood said "austerity and the old politics" were not inevitable and that voters could make a difference.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon laid out her offer and said: "Now the truth is that no one party looks likely to win an outright majority at this election.
"That means we will need to build bridges between our different parties, if we are to deliver real change.
"The SNP will work with people of like mind to bring about an alternative to austerity, protection for the NHS, a higher minimum wage, more jobs."
While UKIP's Nigel Farage said the General Election had turned into a "farce". He said: "Every morning billions of pounds being offered, showered around like confetti. They are trying to borrow trying to borrow -- bribe you with borrowed money."
The debate
Cuts
The UKIP leader tussled with Mr Miliband over cuts and policies unveiled in the party manifesto on Monday. Mr Farage challenged the Labour leader: "I haven't heard from you, Ed a single cut you would make."
Mr Miliband replied: "That is wrong. We said for pensioners we will take the winter fuel allowance over an income, we have shown how we will save money in local government and elsewhere."
But Ms Sturgeon, who has made a red line for coalition with Labour the spending cuts the party has signed up to, attacked Mr Miliband and said he should be "bold" enough to take steps against austerity.
She said: "When Ed Miliband talks about cuts outside protected areas, that is jargon That means cuts to social care Social Security, local government services, defence.
"He is in the position that he is so scared to be bold that he is not even doing the right thing by the NHS, not promising the money the NHS needs.
"I think it is time not for a pretend alternative to austerity, time for a real alternative to austerity. That is what I am offering."
Mr Miliband accused Ms Sturgeon of saying there was no difference between him and David Cameron.
In the first put-down of the night, Ms Sturgeon denied she said there was no difference and added: "I say there is not a big enough difference between Ed Miliband and David Cameron."
She added: "We share a desire to see the back of the Tories, but surely we don't want to replace the Tories with Tory-light We need to replace the Tories with something better."
Housing
Asked about the problem of affordable housing, both Ms Sturgeon and Ms Wood rounded on the Conservatives' manifesto pledge to roll out the Right to Buy policy to 1.3m families in Housing Association properties.
Ms Sturgeon said it was "one of the worst ideas I've ever heard" and added it was a "policy that has had its day". She said it had been abolished in Scotland in favour of help to buy policies.
Ms Wood said Right to Buy had also been suspended in Wales and said it would simply increase the levels of homelessness.
Trident
The other red line Ms Sturgeon has drawn is over the Trident nuclear deterrent. Questioned on the issue she said she would rather spend £100bn on childcare, health and education than on new Trident weapons.
Mr Miliband made clear that he would retain the Trident nuclear deterrent and said: "We only need to look at the reactions of Russia in the last year or so to know we cannot predict the threats we face ten, 20, 30, 40 years ahead. That is why I think it is right we keep our nuclear deterrent."
Ms Sturgeon said that she thought the personal attack by the Conservatives on Mr Miliband over Trident was "disgraceful".
Speaking on defence spending and repeating his manifesto pledge to increase it to 2% of GDP, Mr Farage cautioned about Britain's dwindling military, saying if a situation like the Falklands happened again there would not be the resources to deal with it.
Farage
Nigel Farage "insulted" the audience of the final televised showdown saying they had failed to understand the issues and were too left wing.
During heated debate over the shortage of affordable housing in the UK, the UKIP leader said that "even by the standards of the BBC", the audience was too far Left.
He said: "There is a total lack of comprehension amongst this panel and the audience, which is a remarkable audience even by the left-wing standards of the BBC."
The UKIP leader was jeered as he was told by Ed Miliband that it was not a good idea to "insult the audience", who had been selected by an independent polling firm.
Mr Farage responded: "The real audience is sitting at home."
Coalition
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon laid out her offer to Mr Miliband saying she would work with Ms Wood and Ms Bennett to help Mr Miliband "get rid of the Tories".
She said: "What I'd say to Ed is I want Ed to replace the Tories with something different and something better, something more progressive because progressive changes what the country is crying out for."
But Mr Miliband said he was not interested in a coalition with the SNP because she refused to rule out holding another referendum and wanted to break up the Union.
He said: "I have fundamental disagreements with you Nicola. You have not ruled out having a second referendum on independence in the next five years.
"We have very different views. I respect your view that you want to break up the country but that is not my view.
"I think it would be a disaster for the working people of Britain. So we have profound differences, which is why I will not have a coalition with the SNP."
But Ms Sturgeon replied: "We have a chance to kick David Cameron out of Downing Street Don't turn your back on it."
Mr Farage said that English voters were "worried about the Scottish tail wagging the English dog" .
He said: "My view for UKIP is that I would happily say to you that UKIP could have worked with a Labour Party that believed in the British people having a say on the greatest constitutional question of the day. They turned their backs on it."
