Late Saturday night, 18 independent councilors—originally shifted to Kasol, Himachal Pradesh—were escorted back to Tijara by Congress officials amid claims of police roadblocks at the Panchkula toll plaza, turning the town into a moving chessboard.
Police denied any obstruction, asserting they were tracking the councilors’ whereabouts in the Ambala‑Shahabad corridor. Meanwhile, Congress’s Imran Khan accused a convoy of 25 police vehicles and armed bouncers of detaining the group.
The High Court, after hearing the district president Balram Yadav’s petition, extended the voting deadline from 2 PM to 10 PM, allowing the delayed councillors to finally vote at 9:45 PM, a move that kept the election alive.
When the ballots were tallied, a single vote decided the outcome: Ramavatar Saini received 18 votes, Subhash Chand Saini 16, with one invalid ballot. The narrow margin followed an earlier invalidation of one vote, underscoring the contest’s razor‑thin stakes.
Congress now plans to file a petition with the High Court to investigate the alleged police interference and will reassess its strategy for the municipal council.