Polls opened in the UK's general election on Thursday, with the opposition Labour party the heavy favourite to gain power and end 14 years of Conservative rule.
Polls opened at 7am (0600 GMT) and will close at 10pm, when exit polls will give a strong indication of the final result, reports NDTV.
Several surveys predict Labour will win more than the record 418 seats it secured when ex-leader Tony Blair ended 18 years of Conservative rule in 1997.
The UK operates under a first-past-the-post electoral system where voters elect representatives in 650 constituencies. The party that wins the majority of seats, at least 326, will form the government, and its leader will become the prime minister. If no party secures a majority, the existing prime minister gets the first opportunity to form a coalition government.
The main political parties include the Conservative Party led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour Party led by Keir Starmer, Liberal Democrats led by Ed Davey, Reform UK led by Nigel Farage, Scottish National Party (SNP) led by John Swinney, and the Green Party co-led by Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay.
The UK Conservatives hoped Rishi Sunak would stabilise the party and country when they made him leader following his predecessors' chaotic tenures. Instead, he has led them to the brink of electoral wipeout.
The party's MPs installed the 44-year-old former financier in October 2022, after Liz Truss's 49-day premiership imploded when spooked markets moved against her tax-slashing plans.
Sunak succeeded to a point in stabilising the country's economy but failed to stop bitter Tory infighting or to make a dent in the persistent polling lead held by the opposition Labour Party.
