Click to play videoNew Delhi: Afghanistan voted for its second presidential elections amid heavy Taliban violence on Thursday. But in spite of the violence election officials claim the turnout was a record 50 per cent.
"It's the second presidential and parliamentary election in Afghanistan and I'm sure that, inshallah, this will be for peace," said Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.
But Karzai's wish for peace seems a distant dream as Afghanistan went to poll a string of deadly attacks rocked the country claiming the lives of several people.
Kandahar alone witnessed over 10 rocket attacks with bomb blasts also ripping through Kabul, Wardak and Ghazni.
But the deadliest attack happened in the northern town of Baglan where a pitched gunfight left over two dozen people dead.
Karzai has been in office since 2001 but was formally elected in 2004. The Afghan President, who studied in Shimla for four years, has kept his relations with India strong and is constant critic of Pakistan's assistance to Taliban.
Karzai's domination of the Pashtun areas makes him a front-runner.
His adversary and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah of the United National Front is banking support bases in some Pashtun and largely Tajik areas. He too has an India connection, having lived in Delhi.
Karzai's former finance minister Ashraf Ghani is also in the running but as an Independent. Ghani has vowed to fight corruption.
Even though the Election Commission extended polling by an hour, voting percentages did not see much of an upward swing.
Polling was especially low in the south where the Taliban have a stronger hold.
Analysts in India believe that Karzai is the frontrunner so far. He has kept relations between the two countries very strong, especially on terror - handing over information about the Kabul bombing of the Indian Embassy.
His main challengers Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmedzai have also lived in India.
The only cause for worry is that if re-elected Karzai has promised to involve many Taliban groups in negotiations, even to join the government.
India will have to watch that move closely to ensure anti-Indian groups are not among them.
Abdullah led the international resistance to the Taliban from his home in Delhi, while Ghani was posted in New Delhi with the World Bank several years ago.
India has pledged $1.2 billion in aid to Afghanistan and several projects including main highways, the construction of Afghan Parliament and several dams and power stations are at stake.
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