VIDEO Labour canvasser outside polling station admits voting for ANOTHER PARTY'S candidaet #BringBackOurGirls #FutureGroupNG via @myentertain9jar

PERHAPS the most closely watched of all local council elections taking place today is in the toxic east London borough of Tower Hamlets where a clear split on racial lines is expected.

VOTES: Residents in Tower Hamlets, home to Canary Wharf, have been at the polls today[OWEN BENNETT]

Labour’s John Biggs is generally reckoned to need a larger than usual turnout if he is to oust the incumbent directly elected mayor, Lutfur Rahman, who is standing for a new party, Tower Hamlets First.
But if the experience of Express.co.uk today is anything to go by, Mr Biggs may have a problem on his hands.
At the three polling stations we visited in two wards of the borough today, the turnout appeared not only low, but also heavily in favour of Mr Rahman.
In one case, even a Labour canvasser handing out leaflets featuring Mr Biggs and two other Labour council candidates in the Shadwell ward admitted he had in fact voted for Mr Rahman.
The man told us he was mainly interested in ensuring his father-in-law, Mamum Rashid, was elected as a Labour councillor there.

He was encouraging passers-by in Bigland Street to vote for him rather than concentrating on the interests of his boss, Mr Biggs.
He explained Mr Rahman, whose mayoralty was criticised following a BBC Panorama documentary in March, had done good work for “my community”.
After appearing a little confused, he said had given his first choice vote to Mr Rahman and his second preference to Mr Biggs.
The episode illustrated the notorious nature of Tower Hamlets politics, where traditional party loyalties are often trumped by race and religion.
Accusations of racism and Islamophobia have been major issues in this election campaign.

INCUMBENT: Independent Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman is hoping to beat Labour a second time [ELLIOTT FRANKS]

Labour insiders have been privately worried for some time that many of their Bangladeshi members have not been fighting hard enough for Mr Biggs, who has tried to trumpet a cross-community appeal.
British Bangladeshis comprise some 32 per cent of the borough’s population and slightly outnumber those classified as White British.
They are also far more active in local politics, with turnout among the community expected to be exceptionally high.
Mr Rahman’s team expect to mop up most of that vote.
It means Mr Biggs needs an unusually high turnout from other residents.
But at lunchtime today, turnout at the Whitechapel Sports Centre was thin, at best.

One Labour party canvasser struggled to answer questions posed to him about the election in English.
Express.co.uk also visited two polling stations in the Canary Wharf ward.
Bizarrely, the council had placed one station in the middle of a busy road junction between Marsh Wall and Westferry Road.
Party aides said families had been put off visiting the station due to the traffic.
At 1pm today, a meagre 150 votes had been cast.

This leaflet handed out by Lutfur Rahman supporters was reportedly found inside a polling booth [TWITTER]

It was little better half a mile away at another station, which had seen just 450 voters.
However, the website, Labour List reported turnout in other parts of the borough was much higher.
Labour sources also pointed out that thousands of residents were more likely to vote on their return home from work this evening.
The election for directly elected mayor uses a second preference voting system, which allows voters to give a second choice cross to an alternative candidate.
The count will start at 8am tomorrow and the result is due by the afternoon.
Separately, one voter claimed on Twitter that a leaflet handed out by Mr Rahman's supporters showing people how to vote for the incumbent mayor was found inside a polling booth.
If confirmed, that would be a breach of electoral law.
There is no suggestion Mr Rahman was responsible.
Tower Hamlets council is investigating.