MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Election Commission of India has asked the government to defer a proposal to hike gas prices, which was set to come into effect from April 1, ahead of the next month's election.
The young anti-graft Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) party had written to the election commission asking it to put on hold a decision by the federal cabinet on the gas price hike ahead of the national election, local media reported.
In a letter to the petroleum ministry secretary, the commission said on Monday that it had decided the proposal could be deferred, without elaborating.
In June last year, India approved a shift to higher, market-related rates for locally produced gas from April 1, in a move that was seen positive for companies including Reliance Industries Ltd .
(Reporting by Sumeet Chatterjee; editing by Jane Baird)