Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik was detained in Srinagar on Tuesday to prevent an anti-poll campaign.
Police detained Malik at his party office in Abi Guzar locality here before his scheduled poll boycott campaign.
Separatists have called for the boycott of local urban bodies and Panchayat polls in Kashmir.
Polling for the first phase of the four-phased polling exercise is scheduled on October 8.
The National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party have already announced their non-participation in these polls.