AKIPRESS.COM - Millions of Sri Lankans are voting in an unexpectedly close election that pits President Mahinda Rajapaksa against one of his former allies, reports BBC.

Mr Rajapaksa, in office since 2005, called the election two years early with analysts predicting an easy win.

But many voters have since rallied behind the challenger, former minister Maithripala Sirisena.

Mr Rajapaksa rode a wave of popularity after the civil war ended in 2009 but he now faces claims of cronyism.

His relatives fill many of the most powerful and influential positions in the country, and critics accuse him of running the state like a family business.

Analysts say Mr Sirisena appears to have capitalised on this perception, making gains among Sinhalese who usually vote for Mr Rajapaksa.

Mr Sirisena is also expected to win most of the vote from the ethnic minorities that make up 30% of Sri Lanka's population.

Mr Rajapaksa, however, remains hugely popular with many in the Sinhalese majority.

Casting his ballot in his constituency on Thursday, Mr Rajapaksa said he was confident he would be given the leadership of the country for the third time.

"We will have a resounding victory. That is very clear. From tomorrow, we will start implementing our manifesto," he told reporters according to the AFP News Agency.

He has presided over a period of impressive economic growth and still has political capital from being the leader who brought an end to the war.

Sri Lanka is split along ethnic lines and Tamil rebels launched a campaign for a separate state in 1972. The Sinhalese-majority government crushed the rebellion but only after a bloody conflict had killed thousands of people.