Councillors, Court, 10 pm Vote: How Congress Won Rajasthan's Tijara Thriller

It has all the trappings of a political thriller. Councillors whisked away to Himachal Pradesh, a late-night dash to the polling station, allegations of police intervention, a confrontation involving bouncers, a High Court order and, finally, a vote that went down to the wire.

After a day of high-voltage drama and a bitter tug-of-war between the BJP and Congress, the Congress emerged victorious in Rajasthan's Tijara Municipal Council chairperson election late Monday night - with its candidate winning by a single-vote.

The contest was effectively a battle for the 35-member council. Of these, 31 were independents. Congress had just one elected councillor, while the BJP had three. That left the independents holding the key to the outcome.

And both parties knew it.

Congress moved 18 independent councilors to Kasol in Himachal Pradesh and fielded independent candidate Ramavatar Saini under the Congress symbol.

The BJP, meanwhile, took 16 independent councilors away, turning the election into a high-stakes contest that stretched well beyond the scheduled voting hours.

What followed was a day of competing allegations, police intervention claims and frantic efforts to get the councilors back to Tijara.

Councillors arrive at the Tijara municipal council

Congress leader Imran Khan said the party-backed councillors were detained by police while returning from Himachal Pradesh.

"We were returning from Himachal when 25 police vehicles blocked our path at the Panchkula toll plaza. There were bouncers too. The police took away all the independent candidates and their family members whom I was bringing back. It became a massive challenge for me to bring them back and ensure the election took place."

Khan said Congress's district president, Balram Yadav, approached the High Court, arguing that the councillors were being prevented from voting.

Independent councillor Babita Saini, elected from Ward 5, also alleged that the councillors were stopped while travelling back.

"They boarded the bus and started demanding that we get off. We refused to disembark until female police officers arrived; they physically restrained us to prevent us from reaching the venue in time for the voting," she said.

Another councilor, Hemlata Saini of Ward 18, alleged that the group was taken to a resort and held there.

"They took us to a resort and detained us there. We were held at gunpoint and were not even allowed to go to restrooms. The high-handedness was indescribable," she alleged.

She said the councillors eventually contacted Congress leaders, who helped secure their release.

The allegations, however, were denied by the Panchkula Police.

Speaking to NDTV, ACP Ram Kumar said the police had received information that the councilors were somewhere in the Ambala-Shahabad area and were trying to establish their exact location.

He denied that police had stopped or detained the councilors.

With the councillors' whereabouts and arrival uncertain, the election itself appeared to be hanging in the balance.

Congress approached the High Court seeking an extension of the voting deadline. The scheduled voting time of 2 PM was subsequently extended, first to 8 PM and then to 10 PM, amid the delay in the councillors' arrival.

One by one, the councillors eventually reached the polling station.

Voting continued until around 9:45 PM.

And when the votes were finally counted, the margin was razor-thin.

Of the 35 votes cast, one was declared invalid. Congress-backed Ramavatar Saini secured 18 votes, while BJP candidate Subhash Chand Saini got 16.

A day that had begun with councillors being moved across state borders ended with a result decided by a single vote.

Congress' Imran Khan said that the party will deciding its next course of action over the alleged obstruction of the councillors.

(With Inputs From Mudit Gaur & Gurpreet Singh Chinna)