David Cameron and Ed Miliband in final pitches to electorate

Polling stations have opened across the UK as the country votes in a general election that pollsters say is tied between the ruling Conservatives and Labour.

Speaking at a livestock market in Carlisle on the eve of voting, David Cameron urged voters to "build on what we have done . . . Don't go back to square one. If you want a bright future get out there tomorrow and vote Conservative."

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He said: "As you enter the voting booth, remember these simple things: you can stop Ed Miliband being held to ransom by Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP . . . but only if you vote Conservative."

Among the nearly 400 people watching Mr Cameron were Tory candidates John Stevenson, seeking re-election in marginal Carlisle, and Guy Opperman who is fighting to retain Hexham, the Tories' only safe seat in northeast England.

Tory advisers say the party's strategy of targeting Labour via the SNP, by warning of the risk to the UK of a deal between the two parties, has been their most effective weapon in the campaign. They say it has boosted the Scottish nationalists at Labour's expense and drawn votes away from the UK Independence party in Scotland.

Mr Cameron left to the Clintonesque strains of "Don't Stop Thinking about Tomorrow" and, within minutes of his departure, the stage was being dismantled for the market to host a tools and machinery sale before returning to its main function - as a parade ring for pedigree bulls.

Mr Miliband, the Labour leader, said Thursday's vote was "the most important election in a generation", and warned against the risks of a "Tory decade".

The Labour leader told a rally in Leeds on Wednesday evening that it was time to "get rid of the Tories".

"We are fighting for a Britain where we reward the hard work of every working person not just those who get the biggest bonuses, the hedge funds who avoid tax, the Tory donors."

Speaking in a city that has four marginal seats, including that held by shadow chancellor Ed Balls in the last parliament, Mr Miliband said he was "incredibly proud" of the campaign.

He said: "The stakes are high in these crucial hours today . . . I'm asking you to vote to reward hard work again, to build a future for all our young people, and to rescue our NHS."

Mr Miliband urged a final effort from activists who he said had had 5m doorstep conversations with voters. "This race is going to be the closest we have ever seen. It is going to go down to the wire - a few votes in a few seats that could define the next five years.

"We've got to go out there tomorrow and go to every neighbourhood, walk every street, knock on every door, to make our case."

But the mood among several hundred supporters at Leeds City museum was resolute rather than celebratory. "It's going to be a draw," said one senior Labour councillor.

<>Both leaders addressed supporters on the last stop of their gruelling six-week election tours.

Several pollsters are expected to publish their final findings on Thursday morning as voters prepare to cast their ballots. A group of surveys published on Wednesday suggested that the two parties were tied, with some giving the Tories a one-point lead. ICM, which has shown bigger Conservative leads than its rivals during the campaign, had both parties on 35 per cent.

And with all the polling companies predicting a hung parliament, Whitehall mandarins are drawing up plans for how to manage the frantic days of negotiation that may follow.

Mr Cameron will be advised in the coming days by the "golden triangle" of Chris Martin, his principal private secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood, cabinet secretary, and Sir Chris Geidt, the Queen's principal private secretary, who will discreetly take up position in Whitehall.

The three officials will try to ensure the monarch is not put in the awkward situation of delivering a Queen's Speech on May 27 if it is already clear that Mr Cameron cannot command a Commons majority.

The view among senior figures in Whitehall is that if Mr Cameron was sure of the support of 315 or more MPs then he might be justified in trying his luck in the Commons. Below 315 he might be forced to concede that Mr Miliband should be invited to try to form a government.

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