Vote appeal
Campaigners made a last appeal to voters as the May 5 polls approached.
Pressure groups stressed that in all three Brent constituencies, the result could be swung by those voters who chose not to turn up at the polls in 2001.
And with the diverse make-up of Brent's population, lobbyists discussed the significance of what they describe as the 'Black', 'Muslim', and 'Hindu' votes.
Operation Black Vote has repeatedly underlined the fact that the 'black electorate' in all three Brent seats outnumbers the majority by which those seats were won in 2001.
Meanwhile, Islamic scholars gathered yesterday in east London to urge British Muslims to use their votes.
Their conference came after speculation by some Muslims on whether voting was consistent with Islam, and fears from others that Muslim voters would abstain because of the Iraq war.
Iqbal Sacranie, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said on Tuesday: "There has arguably never been a more important time for British Muslims to engage in the mainstream political process.
"We know there is a lot of disaffection in the community, particularly with the way the anti-terror laws have been applied and with respect to the war against Iraq as well as concerns on inclusion and equality," Mr Sacranie added.
While this is most significant in the knife-edge marginal of Brent East, the large Muslim minority in Brent could affect the outcome in other constituencies, including Brent North, where Belmarsh detainee Babar Ahmad is standing on a human rights, anti-war platform.
On Friday morning, the people of Brent will wake up to discover who will represent them in Parliament.
Unless they voted on Thursday, campaigners say, they will have had no chance to make their voice heard.
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