{
  "id": 9002301,
  "title": "Party-backed councillors detained in Haryana ahead of Rajasthan local body poll, alleges Congress",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/party-backed-councillors-detained-in-haryana-ahead-of-rajasthan-local",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-21T20:20:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/haryana/party-backed-councillors-detained-in-haryana-ahead-of-rajasthan-local-body-poll-alleges-congress/article71492331.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Political upheaval surrounding a crucial local body election in Rajasthan spilled over into neighboring Haryana on Monday, according to the Congress party. The party alleges that 18 party-backed councillors and its chairperson candidate were detained by Haryana police while returning from Himachal Pradesh hours before the Tijara municipal council chairperson election. This incident has sparked a protest and a legal battle, raising questions about the election's validity. The Returning Officer extended the voting time to 8 p.m. under Rajasthan Municipalities (Election) Rules, 1994, but Congress demanded further extension. The councillors had been staying in Himachal Pradesh since September 10, part of the Congress's strategy to prevent defections before the election. They left Kasol around 8 p.m. on Sunday and were stopped near the Surajpur toll plaza in Haryana's Panchkula district around 9 p.m. The group, comprising 85 people including the 18 councillors and candidate Ram Avtar Saini, was allegedly taken to a resort in Morni Hills by Haryana Police personnel and private individuals. Some members escaped and reached the Pinjore police station, where Congress workers staged a protest. The Congress claims the move was to delay the councillors' return and prevent their vote. The municipal council has 35 members, with the Congress supporting around 19 to 20 councillors against the Bharatiya Janata Party's 15. The group eventually resumed its journey around 5 p.m. on Monday. Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Rao Narender Singh questioned the reported detention, demanding clarification on the legal provision used and the grounds for detaining the elected representatives. The police denied the allegations, stating that a group of men from Rajasthan had protested outside the Pinjore police station, claiming some people in their group had gone missing.",
  "summary": "The councillors were returning from Himachal Pradesh, where the party had moved them in a bid to prevent defections ahead of the election",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}