UK votes as Tories, Labour in dead heat

London, Millions voted in the UK today in the country’s closest polls in decades as Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative Party and opposition Labour were locked in a dead heat electoral battle with migrant voters, including the Indian diaspora, expected to be the deciding factor.
The prospects of a hung Parliament loomed large with most pollsters predicting a neck and neck fight between Cameron-led Conservative Party and leader of the opposition Ed Miliband’s Labour Party.
In his final appeal to voters, Cameron said: “The future of the country is in your hands. Don’t do something you will regret.”
Britain’s party leaders took the lead as millions began voting this morning. A sunny, clear day offered the perfect setting for a high turnout, which began on a moderate note but picked up as the day progressed.
Indian-origin voters, including the 1.5 million diaspora population as well as 615,000 India-born students and other migrants currently based in the UK, were expected to play a key role as every vote will count in what is being described as a knife-edge poll.
Like India, Britain has a first-past-the-post electoral system which means the party with the most votes rather than vote share has the upper hand.
With poll pundits predicting a hung Parliament, the magic number on everyone’s mind is 326 — which is the number of MPs required for a majority in the 650-member House of Commons. Cameron accompanied by wife Samantha was among the early voters at his Witney constituency in Oxfordshire.
Miliband, who is hoping to make his entry into No.10 Downing Street as the new British Prime Minister, cast his vote alongside wife Justine almost an hour earlier at his Doncaster North constituency towards the southwest of London.
“It will come down to a few hundred votes in a few dozen constituencies. If you’ve got anything to do in the next 36 hours, cancel it,” was his final message.
Other party leaders, including Liberal Democrats’ Nick Clegg, United Kingdom Independence Party’s Nigel Farage and the Scottish National Party’s Nicola Sturgeon also cast their votes soon after the polls opened at around 50,000 polling stations across the UK.
The last elections in 2010 had set a new record with eight Indian-origin candidates, including two women, being elected to the British Parliament.
The Conservatives are leading the charge in terms of Indian-origin candidates with 17, followed by Labour and Liberal Democrats at 14 each.
Some votes were cast before polling day through postal voting, which accounted for 15% of the total electorate at the 2010 general election, when the overall turnout was 65.1%. For the first time, people have been able to register to vote online.
Electoral rules in the UK prevent any party insignia being displayed near the polling booth on the day of polling.
No selfies at polling booths please
UK election officials have asked voters not to take selfies at the polling stations as it may infringe rules on voting secrecy and could land them in jail
The Electoral Commission said: “Due to the potential breach of the law, intentionally or not, we strongly advise against any form of photography taken inside a polling station”
“However, if a voter would like to highlight their participation in the elections, we suggest this is done outside the polling station before or after they vote”
People have been warned that they could face a fine of 5,000 pounds or six months in prison if they revealed how someone else voted, even accidentally
In practice, election staff might ask anyone taking a picture to delete it rather than go straight to police
(Dis)United kingdom
Opinion polls released on Thursday showed the outcome was still too close to call and that the turnout would be higher than in recent elections
An ICM poll had Labour taking a one percentage point lead, and a survey by Lord Ashcroft had the two main parties tied, with Labour wiping out a two-point lead by the Conservatives recorded earlier this week
An Ipsos MORI poll for the London Evening Standard had the Conservatives one point ahead, down from a five-point lead the party held a week ago, while Populus also had the parties level
Leading pollster Peter Kellner of YouGov has predicted the Conservatives will end up with 284 seats to Labour’s 263, with the Scottish National Party (SNP) on 48, Liberal Democrats 31, the anti-European Union UK Independence Party (UKIP) two, Greens one, and Welsh and Northern Irish parties 21

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