Let's build '40% commission-free', progressive Karnataka: Rahul Gandhi to voters

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged the people of Karnataka to vote in large numbers to build a progressive and a ''40-per cent-commission-free'' state.

Voting for the high-stakes Assembly elections in Karnataka began early on Wednesday in a state where the ruling BJP is eyeing to script history by retaining its southern citadel while a combative Congress is seeking a comeback ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

In a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi said, ''Karnataka's vote… for 5 guarantees, for women's rights, for youth employment, for the upliftment of the poor. Come, vote in large numbers.'' ''Let's build a 40%-commission-free, progressive Karnataka together,'' Gandhi tweeted in Hindi using the hashtag 'Congress Winning150'.

He also shared a graphic featuring the Congress' five guarantees.

Polling is being held for 224 seats in what is being seen mainly as a three-cornered contest between the ruling BJP, the Congress and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (Secular).

The voting that began at 7 am amid tight security will go on till 6 in the evening.

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