SCOTTISH Labour headquarters has been accused of giving up on key battleground seats by channelling resources to the party's favoured "sons and daughters".

The Sunday Herald has learned that Dundee West, held by Labour for 65 years, has not been given a dedicated party organiser, while resources have also been moved away from a prime target seat on the outskirts of Glasgow.

Labour won 41 seats at the last general election in Scotland, but opinion polls have predicted meltdown for Jim Murphy's party and sweeping SNP gains.

Political parties in Scotland tend to prioritise a small number of seats in national elections, but the polls have meant that nearly all Labour constituencies north of the border are in play.

Of the thirty or so organisers working for Scottish Labour, some are focusing on one seat, while others are taking care of multiple constituencies.

In public, Murphy is committed to holding every seat won in 2010 and picking up gains from the Liberal Democrats.

In private, tough decisions have been made in the party's Bath Street HQ about which seats should get the time and resources.

Dundee West, won by Labour in 2010 with a 7278 majority over the SNP, is said to have been written off by headquarters and has not been given an organiser.

The organiser in East Dunbartonshire, which Murphy said he wants to win from LibDem Minister Jo Swinson, also covers the Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East seat, and is believed to be focusing more on the latter constituency.

Lanark and Hamilton East, which Labour's Jimmy Hood won in 2010 by 13,478 votes, is not expected to get a dedicated organiser.

Activists are knocking doors in these constituencies, but senior party insiders believe these seats are either lost causes or risks not worth taking.

When considering which seats to prioritise, Labour HQ looks at the 2011 Holyrood result, referendum voting behaviour, and whether local members are hitting targets for the amount of voter contacts made.

Resources are being used in Glasgow, parts of Lanarkshire, as well as in the West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire seats, the latter of which is held by Murphy.

Glasgow East MP Margaret Curran, who is also shadow Scotland secretary, is receiving help from the party.

One senior party source said: "The resources are benefiting the favoured sons and daughters."

A second insider said: "It looks like HQ has given up in these seats."

An email has also revealed that the Blairite Progress group will be campaigning next week to save seven Scottish Labour candidates associated with New Labour.

On Wednesday, Progress activists will visit the seats held by MPs Anas Sarwar, Gemma Doyle, Gregg McClymont and Pamela Nash.

On Thursday, the team will help MPs Ian Murray and Sheila Gilmore, as well as candidate Melanie Ward.

A spokesperson for Scottish Labour said: "Labour has 33 organisers working in seats across Scotland. It is the largest ground campaign we have ever had and we will continue to make the case for social justice through the election of a Labour government, street by street, door by door across the country."

Ross Greer, the Scottish Green candidate in East Dunbartonshire, said: "It's amazing that Labour have taken so long to realise East Dunbartonshire will reject them at the ballot box in May, although their reliance on Royal Mail would indicate that they don't have the volunteers knocking on doors and feeding voters' anger back to party HQ."

SNP MP Angus Robertson said: "Labour are paying a heavy price for their toxic alliance with the Tories in the referendum - and these revelations show that there is simply no such thing as Labour heartlands in Scotland any more, as their support under Ed Miliband and Jim Murphy continues to stagnate."

A Scottish Conservatives spokesman said: "Labour appears to be paying the price for decades of complacency in these seats. Parachuting in last minute organisers to certain parts of the country won't reverse that neglect."