Voters to decide in controversial Tower Hamlets mayoral election
21.10.10Voters go to the polls today in a mayoral election which has sparked bitter local infighting for Labour.
The party dumped its initial candidate for mayor of Tower Hamlets in east London, former council leader Lutfur Rahman, only for him to stand as an independent with the backing of several Labour councillors.
And Labour's contender for mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, then risked internal discipline by campaigning for Mr Rahman against the party's new candidate, Helal Abbas.
The row has given new hope to the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green would-be mayors in an area which has traditionally been solidly Labour.
Today's poll is the first ever ballot for a directly-elected mayor in Tower Hamlets, a borough which takes in not only the poor neighbourhoods of the East End, but also the glass-and-steel skyscrapers of the Docklands financial centre.
Voters will be asked to number their two favourite candidates in order of preference, with the second-preference votes redistributed if the first round of counting on Friday fails to deliver a clear victor.
The five candidates standing on Thursday are:
Helal Uddin Abbas, Labour Party
Alan Duffell, Green Party
John David Macleod Griffiths, Liberal Democrats
Neil Anthony King, Conservative Party
Lutfur Rahman, Independent
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