Bangalore, Mar 7 (IANS): Around 45 percent of over 8.5 million voters in Karnataka had cast their ballots by 2 p.m. Thursday in the elections to 208 urban local bodies, an official said here.

The polling booths opened at 7 a.m. and balloting has been largely peaceful, a spokesperson of the state election authority said.

Counting of votes will take place March 11.

Voting is taking place for seven city corporations, 43 city municipal corporations, 65 town municipal councils and 93 town panchayats.

The polling is to elect a total of 4,867 representatives to run urban local bodies. According to the state election commission, 85 representatives have been elected unopposed, and there were no nominations for 24 seats.

More than 21,000 candidates are in the fray with the Congress fielding the highest number of candidates, 4,492, followed by Bharatiya Janata Party 3,954 and Janata Dal-Secular 3,651.

The Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) headed by former BJP chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, BSR (Badavara Shramikara Mattu Raithara or poor, workers and farmers) Congress floated by former BJP minister B. Sriramulu, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and independents are also in the fray.