Britons began voting today in a parliamentary election predicted to be the tightest contest in almost two decades. Polls opened at 0600 GMT and will close at 2100 GMT, with the first results expected at around 2200 GMT.

Some 45 million people across the United Kingdom are eligible to vote. Early on, many predicted outright victory for the Conservatives under David Cameron.

Then,the third-party Liberal Democrats surged on a charismatic television-debate performance by leader Nick Clegg that tapped into voter dissatisfaction with the two big parties.

Struggling Prime Minister Gordon Brown's fortunes sagged further when he was caught on microphone calling a voter a "bigoted woman".

With up to 40 percent of voters saying they remain undecided, polls suggested the vote would produce a hung parliament, in which no party wins enough seats to govern outright.