New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said the people of Karnataka have decided to choose a progressive, transparent and welfare-oriented government.

He urged the people to vote in large numbers in the election.

Also Read | Supreme Court to Hear SEBI Plea to Extend Time for Probe into Hindenburg Report on May 12.

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 eyes a comeback ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

"People of Karnataka have decided that they shall choose a progressive, transparent & welfare-oriented government," Kharge said in a tweet.

Also Read | Same-Sex Marriage: Arguments That Supreme Court Should Rule on Gay Marriages As Parliament is Not Likely to Do Anything Will Be 'Dangerous Proposition', Says Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind.

Today, it is time to vote in large numbers, he said.

"We welcome our first time voters to participate in this democratic process for a better future," the Congress chief said.

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.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)