Exit polls suggest a large majority for the main opposition Pheu Thai party led by Yingluck Shinawatra Voting has now ended in Thailand in a general election that follows five years of political unrest and which has been dominated by ousted and exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.Two exit polls suggest a large majority for the main opposition Pheu Thai party, which is allied to Mr Thaksin and is led by his sister, Yingluck.
She has been battling the ruling Democrats of PM Abhisit Vejjajiva.
There has been tight security, with about 170,000 police officers deployed.
Last year, protesters shut down parts of Bangkok for two months in a bid to force the government to resign. When the army stepped in to clear the capital's streets it degenerated into violence, leaving 91 people dead.
Many of the red-shirt demonstrators were supporters of Mr Thaksin, whose government was toppled in a military coup in 2006.
Polls closed at 1500 local time (0800GMT), with the official result expected in the late evening.
Wounded democracyExit polls released as soon as voting ended suggested a big victory for Pheu Thai.
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Rachel Harvey BBC South East Asia Correspondent Bangkok came to a respectful halt just as polls opened. The national anthem is played every morning at 0800, and people tend to stop in their tracks and listen.
Today it felt like a musical pause for reflection ahead of what is undoubtedly a crucial poll. Voting is in theory mandatory, though no-one is fined or imprisoned for failing to cast their ballot.
But people I've spoken to really do see this election as a crucial test of Thailand's fragile democracy, so there's expected to be a high turnout.
One 89-year-old lady in a wheelchair told me she had never in her life missed a chance to vote, though she had lost count of precisely how many times she had exercised her democratic right.
A poll for Suan Dusit university gave it 313 seats, with the Democrats on 152. A poll by Bangkok's ABAC university suggested a result of 299 seats to 132.When the polls were shown on television, Pheu Thai supporters erupted in celebration at the party headquarters in Bangkok.
Yingluck Shinawatra said: "Let's wait for the official results. I will tell you how I feel tonight."
But she said Mr Thaksin had already telephoned her.
"Mr Thaksin called me to congratulate me and encourage me. He told me that there is still much hard work ahead of us."
The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Bangkok says exit polls are often unreliable in Thailand but adds that these are suggesting a convincing lead for Pheu Thai.
She says both sides have said they will respect the result but there is concern that their supporters will not and that there could be a return to the violence of the past.
The past few years have seen street protests, airport closures, and clashes between the supporters of the two main groups, which our correspondent says have tarnished the country's economy and reputation for being a bastion of democracy in south-east Asia.
More than 40 parties fielded 3,832 candidates for the 500-seat lower house of parliament, the House of Representatives.
In a two-tier system of voting, 375 legislators will be elected by constituency, while 125 candidates will be chosen from lists according to the proportion of votes each party receives nationwide on a separate ballot. There are some 47 million eligible voters.
Despite the wide variety of parties, only the Democrats and Pheu Thai were believed to have a realistic chance of capturing an outright majority.
Yingluck Shinawatra was one of the first to vote at a school in Bangkok. She smiled and showed her ID card to television cameras before casting her ballot.
How the voting system works in Thailand, and why this election is so importantShe said: "Thank you, supporters, who have been so kind to me."
Our correspondent says Ms Yingluck is a political novice, and her popularity seems to rest on the fact she is campaigning on the policies of her brother, who many believe is Pheu Thai's real leader.
He is living in self-imposed exile in Dubai to avoid corruption conviction, and has made it clear that he is keen to return to his homeland.
Mr Abhisit also voted in Bangkok. He said: "I urge all eligible voters to come out and cast votes quickly because this election is very crucial for our country."
Continue reading the main story Sept 2006: Army overthrows government of Thaksin Shinawatra, rewrites constitutionDec 2007: Pro-Thaksin People Power Party wins most votes in electionAug 2008: Mr Thaksin flees into exile before end of corruption to trialDec 2008: Mass yellow-shirt protests paralyse Bangkok; Constitutional Court bans People Power Party; Abhisit Vejjajiva comes to powerMar-May 2010: Thousands of pro-Thaksin red shirts occupy parts of Bangkok; eventually cleared by army; dozens killedMr Abhisit has said a vote for Pheu Thai is a vote for Mr Thaksin, and pointed out the party's own slogan was "Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai does".He has said the country must "get rid of the poison of Thaksin".
If Pheu Thai's win is confirmed, analysts say all eyes will once again be on the military, which has regularly intervened in the political process. Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha on Thursday stressed that he would stay neutral.
Thailand has had 18 attempted or successful military coups since democracy was established in 1932.
Our correspondent says there is a lot at stake.
Whoever wins will have to bring a divided nation back together again, and try to heal Thailand's wounded democracy, she adds.
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