Daijiworld Media Network - Jaipur

Jaipur, Sep 21: A political controversy erupted on Monday after Congress alleged that 18 councillors from Rajasthan’s Tijara Municipal Council were stopped in Haryana while returning from Himachal Pradesh, hours before the election for the council’s chairperson.

The councillors had reportedly been staying together in Himachal Pradesh ahead of the crucial vote. Congress leaders alleged that their vehicles were intercepted near the Chandimandir-Surajpur toll plaza in Haryana’s Panchkula district and that the councillors were taken away by police personnel.

The allegations triggered a protest outside the Pinjore police station, with Congress leaders demanding information about the councillors and their whereabouts. The party alleged that the councillors were being prevented from reaching Tijara to participate in the election.

Former Kalka MLA and Congress leader Pradeep Chaudhary alleged that the party’s candidate had the support of 19 councillors and that the group was returning to Rajasthan along with family members and friends when their vehicles were stopped near the toll plaza.

Chaudhary alleged that the councillors were forcibly taken in police vehicles and prevented from exercising their right to vote. Congress leaders staged a sit-in outside the Pinjore police station seeking their release and clarification about the alleged action.

Haryana Police, however, denied involvement in the alleged detention. Police said they had received information about the disappearance of some Rajasthan councillors travelling from Himachal Pradesh towards Haryana and were investigating the matter.

According to police, the group’s location was traced to the Ambala or Shahabad area and efforts were underway to locate the councillors. Police said they had no role in the incident and were trying to establish who had taken the councillors away and under what circumstances.

The controversy comes against the backdrop of a closely contested chairperson election in the Tijara Municipal Council. The council has 35 wards, with independent candidates winning 31 seats, the BJP three and Congress one.

Congress has claimed the support of a large group of independent councillors, giving its camp the numbers needed to seek control of the council. The presence of the councillors at Monday’s vote has therefore become a key issue in the contest.

The matter has also reached the Rajasthan High Court, with Congress seeking intervention over the alleged disappearance of the councillors. The court directed the Bhiwadi Additional District Magistrate to submit a report on the issue to the Election Commission.

Elections to mayors, chairpersons and presidents of 273 urban local bodies in Rajasthan, including seven municipal corporations, are scheduled for Monday. The elections for councillors were held in two phases on September 9 and 11, while the results were declared on September 14.

The BJP emerged as the single-largest party in the municipal elections, winning 4,179 wards, while Congress won 3,613 and independents secured 2,273 wards, according to election-related reports.

The situation surrounding the Tijara councillors remains under investigation, with police seeking to establish their whereabouts and the circumstances of their disappearance.