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

New Delhi: 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.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="hi" dir="ltr">कर्नाटक का वोट…<br><br>5 गारंटी के लिए,<br>महिलाओं के अधिकार के लिए,<br>युवाओं के रोज़गार के लिए,<br>गरीबों के उत्थान के लिए।<br><br>आएं, ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा संख्या में मतदान करें, <br>‘40% कमीशन’ मुक्त, प्रगतिशील कर्नाटक का साथ में निर्माण करें।<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CongressWinning150?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CongressWinning150</a> <a href="https://t.co/3ycwYtabcN">pic.twitter.com/3ycwYtabcN</a></p>&mdash; Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/1656113102817992706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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.