Jammu and Kashmir likely to defer municipal polls after PDP, National Conference's boycott call

The Congress will announce its decision on participation in these elections at a press conference here late

Security personnel patrol a street during a two-day strike called by the separatist leaders against the petitions in the Supreme court challenging the validity of Article 35A in Srinagar on August 5 2018. (Photo | PTI) 

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government is likely to defer the municipal elections scheduled in October to January 2019, sources said.

This comes after two major political parties, the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) announced they were boycotting the polls.

A decision announcing deferment of the municipal polls is likely to be taken at the State Administrative Council (SAC) meeting chaired by Governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday.

READ| Parties opposing polls in Jammu and Kashmir are anti-people, anti-development: BJP  

The panchayat polls were scheduled for November-December. "The schedule already announced for the panchayat polls will remain unchanged," an official in the know of things said.

After the NC announced boycott of the municipal and panchayat polls, the PDP made a similar announcement on Monday.

The Congress will announce its decision on participation in these elections at a press conference here later.