New Delhi: US President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden on Tuesday exuded confidence of a big victory in the presidential polls as Americans in large numbers headed to cast their ballots to decide the fate of the two leaders in the world’s most significant democratic exercise.

According to the US Elections Project watchdog which tracks early voting and mail-in ballots returns in states, at least 100.6 million people, a record, casted their ballots early before Tuesday’s Election Day. This year around 239 million people are eligible to vote and voters were urged to vote early, especially through mail-in ballots, to avoid queues amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Even though, voters from all the 50 states in the country participate in the presidential election, it will mostly be the key blocs in a dozen battleground states that are likely to decide which presidential candidate occupies the Oval Office in January. And, the 12 states that is likely to determine the 2020 election are — Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, New Hampshire and Texas.

As voting remains underway, US President Trump said that he will declare victory only when and if he wins the poll, making an attempt to clarify his ambiguous position during a chaotic election. Speaking to Fox News over phone, the Republican candidate said, “When there is victory. If there is victory. You know, there is no reason to play games.”

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden urged the people of the country to place faith in him and his running mate Kamala Harris. Taking to Twitter, Biden said that it is time to heal the soul of the nation and wrote, “In 2008 and 2012, you placed your trust in me to help lead this country alongside Barack Obama. Today, I’m asking for your trust once again — this time, in Kamala and me. We can heal the soul of this nation — I promise we won’t let you down.”

In another tweet, he wrote, “It’s time to restore the soul of this nation. It’s time to stand up and take our democracy back. It’s time to vote.”

As per reports, the November 3 presidential election is being termed as one of the most divisive in recent American history. The election process has already started setting records for turnout.

The 2020 US elections, including presidential and congressional races, came amid a surging COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Americans will decide the fate of incumbent President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden through their votings. To win the presidency, either Trump or Biden must acquire over 50 per cent of the electoral college vote, which is 538 in total. Therefore, each candidate must get a minimum of 270 electoral votes to clinch the presidency.

The final results are expected to start trickling in from late Tuesday evening, mostly after 8pm (EST). Joe Biden is currently leading Donald Trump in the national polls as the US approaches its 2020 presidential election. If elected, he would be the oldest president in US history at his inauguration, at age 78. Trump, who is currently 74, would also be the oldest president ever if he wins a second term.

But leading in polls does not guarantee victory. Hillary Clinton also had a clear lead over Trump in the polls for almost the entire 2016 campaign. She ended up losing in the electoral college.