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Washington: Polling stations opened Tuesday in Connecticut, the first of five US states to begin voting in the day's primaries, which mark a critical juncture in the presidential nominating race.
Residents of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island will also cast ballots in primaries, as Hillary Clinton seeks a knockout against Bernie Sanders and Republican Donald Trump remains confident of extending his lead despite rivals joining forces against him.
A very strong showing in the day's primaries would put former secretary of state Clinton on the cusp of Democratic victory, a monumental step in her quest to become the nation's first female commander in chief.
Trump too was traveling the primary landscape in an intensifying effort to surpass the threshold of 1,237 delegates needed to lock down the role of 2016 Republican flag bearer.
Voting stations in Connecticut opened at 6:00 am (1000 GMT), with polling in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania scheduled to open one hour later. Rhode Island precincts were to begin welcoming voters at various times, 7:00 am at the earliest.
Polls across all five states close at 8 pm (0000 GMT Wednesday).
AFP
