The BJP and Congress have 15 candidates each in the fray.
In the by-elections for 15 out of 17 assembly seats in Karnataka, about 32.51 per cent of voter turnout was recorded till 1pm, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Athani recorded 40.89 per cent voting, Kagawad 37.72 per cent, Gokak 37.72 per cent, Yellapur 41.72 per cent, Hirekerur 38.63 per cent, and Ranebennur 36.09 per cent.
The poll body has withheld the elections for two seats -- Maski and Rajarajeshwari -- as petitions against these Assembly constituencies are pending in the Karnataka High Court.
In the other nine constituencies, the voter turnout was as follows: Vijayanagara - 34.95 per cent, Chikkaballapur - 39.03 per cent, K R Pura - 22.23 per cent, Yashwantpura - 27.29 per cent, Mahalakshmi layout - 22.71 per cent, Shivajinagar - 22.12 per cent, Hosakote - 33.24 per cent, K R Pete - 39.47 per cent and Hunasuru - 38.2 per cent.
Among the major political parties in the state, BJP and Congress have 15 candidates each in the fray, while number of JD(S) candidates is 12, and remaining are from smaller parties and independents.
In July, the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, led by former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, collapsed after 17 of its MLAs resigned. The resignations also reduced the majority mark in the 224-strong Assembly to 104.
The BJP with its 105 MLAs formed the government in the state.
At present, there are 207 MLAs in Karnataka Assembly with 104 required for a majority. With the election of 15 MLAs, the number of MLAs in the Assembly would go to 222. With that, the ruling party would require 112 MLAs for a majority in the Assembly.
Elections for two other seats will be held in the future which will take the majority mark to 113.