PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty cast their votes at a polling centre in Kirby Sigston in Northallerton in north of England on Thursday (4) as the UK’s general elections were underway. The premier himself is an MP for Richmond and Northallerton, a new constituency which is going to elections for the first time this year. Previously, Sunak was an MP for Richmond (Yorks).

The opposition Labour is predicted to return to power with a big victory in this election, marking an end to 14 years of Conservative rule that saw turmoil on different fronts. Party leader Keir Starmer is likely to become the next premier.

Sunak, who became the UK’s first premier of Asian origin in October 2022, called the snap election in May, surprising many since the anti-establishment sentiments ran high. The PM, however, banked on a drop in inflation and reducing net migration, to take the gamble. But the pre-election phase did not show any signs of the gap narrowing between the Labour and Sunak’s Tory party.

Read: EXCLUSIVE: Starmer says Labour needs wealth creators as party courts Asian businesses

The polling began at 7 am (0600 GMT) and will continue till 10 pm, when exit polls will give an idea of the final outcome.

Several surveys have predicted a landslide win for the Labour, which could even clinch more than 418 seats that it had won in 1997 to end 18 years of Conservative rule.

Read: Sunak to voters: Don’t do something you might regret

The UK’s electoral system sees a first-past-the-post one where voters elect representatives in 650 constituencies or seats. The party that secures the majority, which is at least 326, gets to form the government with its leader becoming the prime minister. If no party gets majority, the incumbent prime minister gets the initial chance to form a coalition government.

The main parties in this election include, besides Sunak’s Conservative Party and Starmer’s Labour; Liberal Democrats led by Ed Davey; Reform UK of Nigel Farage; Scottish National Party led by John Swinney; and the Green Party co-led by Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay.

Keywords-UKGeneralElection, Elections2024, GeneralElection2024, GE24, VoteTheToriesOut, Rishi Sunak