POLLS across Northern Ireland have now closed after being open for 15 hours to allow the eligible public to cast their votes in the 2015 General Election.

A total of 138 candidates from across the political spectrum were running in the 18 constituencies to be returned as MPs

Polling stations opened at 7 am and just closed at 10 pm.

Counting will take place overnight in eight different centres and the first results in Northern Ireland are expected around 1 am on Friday morning.

The main Belfast count is taking place at the Kings Hall.

Constituencies of interest will be Fermanagh and South Tyrone where Sinn Fein’s Michelle Gildernew holds a majority of four votes.

The DUP’s Gavin Robinson is the bookies favourite to regain east Belfast from the Alliance’s Naomi Long.

And south Belfast is also a seat of interest where the SDLP’s Alasdair McDonnell is fighting to stave off advances from the DUP’s Jonathan Bell and former Sinn Fein Belfast Lord Mayor Mairtin O’Muilleoir.