Voting underway for London mayoral election

London: Britons cast ballots for London mayor and thousands of local council seats on Thursday in voting that could gauge Prime Minister Gordon Brown's electability in the next general election.

London's mayoral candidates have so far dominated the election spotlight in a fiercely fought battle where polls have consistently shown Conservative challenger Boris Johnson slightly ahead of Labour's Ken Livingstone.

The winner of the mayoral race will oversee an annual budget of 11 billion pounds and will work to make sure the 2012 Olympics will be a success.

Meanwhile, Some 4,102 local council seats are up for grabs including all the local councils in Wales and some councils in England.

Polls close at 10 pm (2100 GMT), and counting in the London race begins Friday. Results are not expected until late Friday or Saturday.

The overall municipal vote in England and Wales will be watched for its subtle implications for Brown, who took over last year from Blair as Labour leader and became prime minister without an election.

The Labour Party's poll ratings have sunk to a 20-year low, and although a national election is not expected until 2009 or 2010, the local elections will be seen as a verdict on voter attitudes toward the party.