Labour leader Ed Miliband became the focus of other party leaders' attacks in the BBC TV debate.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon went for him the hardest – despite chatter about a possible post-election alliance between her party and Labour.
As the only one of the three main party leaders present, Miliband swiftly became the whipping boy of the night.
Sturgeon was determined to challenge Labour's plans on the economy, kicking off by accusing Miliband of planning devastating cuts to social care. She said it was time for a "real alternative to austerity".
Miliband held his ground, insisting that his first budget would include a mansion tax and a bankers' bonus tax to make sure the wealthiest people pay the most. But Sturgeon warned that the Tories could simply be replaced with "Tory lite".
Sturgeon wasn't the only one to attack Miliband: the leaders of the Green party, UKIP and Plaid Cymru all laid into him too. Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood demanded to know whether Miliband would bring in an emergency budget to reverse Tory cuts.
Labour said it was a good thing that Miliband was the focus of attention. A senior Labour source said: "The others are all asking Ed Miliband questions because he's the alternative prime minister on stage. David Cameron hasn't turned up."