Millions of voters across the United Kingdom headed to the polls on Thursday to elect 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons. According to multiple poll projections, the Labour Party is poised to secure a substantial, if not historically large, majority of over 400 seats.Open Polls and Exit PollsPolling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. local time and are set to close at 10:00 p.m., when exit polls will provide a strong indication of the final outcome. The official results will be announced on Friday morning, revealing the accuracy of the polls and determining the fate of Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks government. Sunak, the first person of Indian descent to hold the position, leads the fifth consecutive Conservative administration, which has governed for 14 years.Labour Campaigns for ChangeLabour has centred its campaign around the theme of change. Vote change, Labour leader Keir Starmer urged on Thursday. Today, Britains future is on the ballot, he posted on social media, accompanied by a photo of himself with his wife, Victoria Starmer.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, maintained that he was “fighting hard” despite one of his closest allies predicting an “extraordinary landslide” defeat for the Conservatives. Sunak emphasised his warnings that a Labour government would result in tax increases and weaker national security, criticisms that Labour has dismissed as desperate attempts to retain power. The Conservatives also cautioned voters against a Labour “supermajority,” which they claim could depress voter turnout.Indian Community Weighs InAs the snap general election commenced, members of the Indian community in the UK expressed their belief that the Labour Party would bring an end to the nearly 15-year Conservative rule.“If the current political trends continue, Labour should achieve a resounding victory,” one UK resident said.Another resident attributed the expected Conservative defeat to internal party turmoil and mismanagement of public services, particularly the National Health Service (NHS). “The Conservatives are going to lose because of the mess they created... Labour should come back with a victory,” he added.Despite predicting a Labour win, the resident expressed admiration for Prime Minister Sunak, stating that he is a competent leader burdened by the mistakes of his predecessors. “He is a very good Prime Minister. If the Conservatives lose, its not because of him. Its because of the mess that the others made. I would personally love to see him remain as Prime Minister,” he told ANI.As the nation awaits the final results, the anticipation builds around what could be a significant shift in the UKs political landscape.
