Uttarakhand Congress Shake-Up: Harish Rawat Quits Key Posts After Aide Faces Cash, Watch Seizure

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has stepped down from two key Congress positions following an Enforcement Directorate (ED) search at the residence of his personal assistant, Chandan Singh Jeena.

The ED carried out searches at multiple locations in Dehradun on Friday in connection with alleged irregularities in the 2016 Gram Sevak recruitment examination. The action comes ahead of the Uttarakhand Assembly election, expected to be held in early 2027.

Why Harish Rawat Resigned

Rawat announced his resignation as a member of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive and as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee.

Explaining the decision, the veteran Congress leader said he did not want the allegations surrounding his aide to weaken the party’s fight against corruption.

“I am a member of the executive of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and a permanent invitee member of the Congress Working Committee at the national level, and with utmost humility, I wish to step down from both these positions, because no weakness should come into the party’s struggle on my account,” Rawat said.

Rawat Defends Personal Assistant

Rawat described Jeena as an “honest” and “hard-working” person and questioned the allegations against him. He also suggested that the ED action could be linked to the upcoming Assembly election.

However, Rawat said he would be ashamed if evidence proved that his aide had actually tampered with examination records.

“If he tampered with OMR sheets in the Gram Sevak recruitment examination and there is evidence of such wrongdoing, then I am ashamed of this alleged act. However, I do not believe this allegation at all,” he said.

According to the details of the ED search, officials recovered Rs 32 lakh in cash, gold coins, gold chains and 12 luxury watches from Jeena’s residence.

The development has added a fresh political dimension to the investigation, with Uttarakhand heading towards its next Assembly election in 2027.