Harish Rawat resigns from Congress posts after ED action against aide
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New Delhi, September 12: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat on Saturday resigned from two organisational positions in the Congress, following an Enforcement Directorate (ED) search at the residence of his former OSD and current personal assistant, Chandan Singh Jeena.
The ED conducted searches in Dehradun on September 10 as part of its money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the 2016 Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari recruitment examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC). The agency said it recovered Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash, around 200.5 grams of gold, including 13 gold coins and seven gold chains, and 12 luxury watches from Jeena's premises.
Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat has resigned from the Congress Working Committee and the state party executive after cash and jewellery were reportedly seized from the home of his former aide, Jina
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) September 12, 2026
The aide has also been linked to alleged OMR-sheet tampering in a government… pic.twitter.com/VvqAgxaSwU
Jeena had served as Rawat's OSD when he was Uttarakhand Chief Minister between 2014 and 2017 and is currently associated with him as a personal assistant.
Announcing his resignation, Rawat said he did not want anything connected with him to weaken Congress's political fight against corruption, particularly ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections. He resigned from the executive of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee.
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At the same time, Rawat defended Jeena, saying he had “absolutely no faith” in allegations that his aide had tampered with OMR sheets. He said that if wrongdoing was ultimately established, action should follow, but maintained that he did not believe the allegations at present.
The development has created a significant political controversy for Congress in Uttarakhand ahead of the 2027 polls.