The decision comes even as former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti criticised the local unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for backing the demand to lift the freeze on delimitation of assembly seats in the state.

The poll panel said it has unanimously decided that “holding of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir shall be considered later in this year”.

On account of security issues, simultaneous assembly elections were not held along with the six J&K Lok Sabha seats that went to polls in April. After the BJP pulled out of the coalition government in June 2018, Governor’s rule was imposed in the state, which was followed after six months with the imposition of President’s rule. In March, the EC decided not to hold polls for the assembly and Lok Sabha simultaneously in the state, citing security concerns.

The Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly has 87 seats – 46 in Kashmir, 37 in Jammu and 4 in Ladakh.

The 46-day-long Amarnath yatra will begin on July 1, the day of Masik Shivratri, and would conclude on August 15, the day of Shravan Purnima.