Sri Lankans began to elect their 225 legislators Thursday morning in the island's first parliamentary polls held after the end of the 30-year-old civil war.

Election officials said 14,088,500 people are eligible to cast their votes from 7 a.m. (0130 GMT) to 4 p.m. (1030 GMT) in more than 11,000 polling stations across the country with 7,620 candidates from 36 political parties and 301 independent groups contesting the election.

Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake called on the general public to cast their votes early.

This is the first general election held without the presence of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which was defeated by the government troops in May 2009.

The officials said the voting is underway with a less voter enthusiasm comparing to the presidential election held in January.

"Not much of interest shown by voters. We did not get the same level of queues to vote as in the presidential election," an official manning a polling station in an eastern Colombo suburb said.

The presidential election held on Jan. 26 recorded a voter turnout of close to 75 percent but this time it could be less.

With President Mahinda Rajapaksa winning a second term, his rule for the next seven years was ensured. As a result, his ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) is widely expected to win Thursday's poll.

Rajapaksa seeks a new mandate to rebuild the island after he ended the 30-year campaign of separatism by the LTTE.

"I have the plans to make this country the wonder of Asia," Rajapaksa told the final election rally on Monday.

Officials said Rajapaksa and his family voted early at Medamulana area in the southern district of Hambantota where his eldest son Namal is standing as a candidate.

The opposition parties are in a state of disarray with the unexpected defeat in the presidential election.

"I will rebuild this country's economy in two years," main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told the final election rally.

Former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka, the common opposition rival against Rajapaksa is currently in jail.

He stands as a candidate from the Colombo district and is expected to win a seat from his new party, the Democratic National Alliance.

Out of the 36 political parties in the race, the main contenders are the ruling UPFA, the main opposition United National Party and the newly formed Democratic National Alliance headed by the leftist JVP or the People's Liberation Front.

Chief of the Police Elections Bureau Gamini Navarathna said earlier that nearly 80,000 police and Army personnel would be deployed for the security on the day prior to the election, Election Day and the following day.

Navarathna said special police mobile units are also operating around the country in the election period.

Rajapaksa dissolved the island's parliament in February shortly after his landslide victory at the presidential election when he defeated Fonseka by about 1.8 million votes.

The new 225-member legislature is scheduled to hold its first session on April 22.