Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir, said on Monday that her party Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will boycott the local body polls in the state later this year.
In a statement, the party said that "the situation created by linking Local bodies elections with the case pending in the Supreme Court about (Article 35 A) has created serious apprehensions in the minds of people".
"We will go to any extent to protect Article 35A," NDTV quoted Mufti as saying at a press conference in Srinagar.
The National Conference, which had earlier boycotted the local polls, has also threatened to pull out of the Lok Sabha polls over the same issue.
A petition challenging the constitutional validity of Article 35 A, which provides special rights and privileges to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, is before the Supreme Court. On 31 August, the court deferred the hearing until January next year.