UK goes to polls on Thursday

As the UK goes to polls on Thursday to elect a new 659-member Parliament, most opinion polls are forecasting a Labour victory for third term, but with reduced majority.

The Labour had secured a landslide majority in the 2001 elections with the party bagging 412 seats as against 166
by the Conservatives in the House.

At the time of dissolution of Parliament, Labour had a strength of 408 and a government majority of 161.

But according to the latest opinion poll conducted by ICM Research, the Labour may be returned to power with its majority cut to below 80.

In a bid to woo Asian votes, both Labour and Conservative parties have fielded more non-resident Indian candidates.

Eighty-year-old NRI Piara Singh Khabra, who is seeking a re-election from Ealing Southall as a Labour nominee, is the
oldest candidate in the field and is expected to pull it off yet again, though with a reduced margin.

In 1997, Khabra delivered one of Labour's biggest majorities, 21,423. In the 2001 elections, his winning margin was reduced to 14,000.

In Leicester, about 100 km from London, Keith Vaz, former minister seeking re-election on a Labour ticket is pitted against Paramjit Singh Gill of Liberal Democrat.

Labour generally enjoyed the support of a majority of Asians, particularly NRIs but it has alienated a sizeable number of Muslims on the issue of Iraq war.