Archive · 12 Sep 2026
Harish Rawat Resigns Congress Posts After ED Seizures From Aide
Harish Rawat is a former chief minister of Uttarakhand and a Congress leader.
He said he will leave two important jobs within the Congress party.
He said he is not leaving the Congress party itself.
This happened after investigators searched the home of his assistant, Chandan Singh Jeena.
The Enforcement Directorate said it found Rs 32 lakh and 12 expensive watches.
The investigation concerns alleged problems in a 2016 government recruitment examination.
Rawat said Jeena could not have been involved and called him honest and hardworking.
Rawat also said he would face punishment if proof showed that he had done something wrong.
Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat said he will resign from two Congress organisational posts, but not from the party.
The decision followed Enforcement Directorate raids on his personal assistant Chandan Singh Jeena’s premises on Thursday.
The ED said it seized Rs 32 lakh in cash and a dozen luxury wristwatches.
The raids are part of a money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in a 2016 recruitment examination.
Rawat defended Jeena, denied believing the allegations, and said he would accept jail if evidence showed his involvement.
- Who
- Harish Rawat, former Uttarakhand chief minister and Congress leader; Chandan Singh Jeena, his personal assistant; and the Enforcement Directorate.
- What
- Rawat announced his resignation from two Congress organisational posts after the ED seized cash and luxury watches from Jeena’s premises.
- When
- Rawat announced the decision on Saturday; the raids took place on Thursday.
- Where
- The raids took place at Chandan Singh Jeena’s premises in the Uttarakhand-related investigation; Rawat made his remarks in Delhi.
- Why
- Rawat said he wanted to prevent the investigation from weakening Congress’s campaign and anti-corruption messaging ahead of the Uttarakhand assembly elections.
Rawat’s position
Enforcement Directorate’s investigation
Meaning of the resignation
Rawat’s position
Rawat said he was resigning from two organisational posts, not from the Congress party, to ensure that student-related issues and the party’s election campaign were not weakened.
Enforcement Directorate’s investigation
The ED action placed the seizure and investigation at the center of public discussion involving Rawat’s aide and the Congress leadership.
Alleged recruitment irregularities
Rawat’s position
Rawat said he did not believe Jeena was involved and challenged anyone with evidence of his interference to submit it to the CBI, ED, or state police.
Enforcement Directorate’s investigation
The ED said its raids formed part of a money-laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in a 2016 Village Panchayat Development Officer examination.
Political interpretation
Rawat’s position
Rawat claimed the ED action was intended to create a specific narrative and said it should not weaken Congress’s campaign against corruption.
Enforcement Directorate’s investigation
The ED stated that its case arose from four FIRs filed by the Uttarakhand Police and Vigilance Bureau concerning the alleged examination irregularities.
- Resigning leader
- Harish Rawat
- Posts being vacated
- Pradesh Congress Committee executive membership and permanent-invitee status on the Congress Working Committee
- Party membership
- Rawat said he is not resigning from the Congress party
- Cash seized
- Rs 32 lakh
- Other seizure
- A dozen luxury wristwatches
- Aide searched
- Chandan Singh Jeena
- Investigation
- Money-laundering case concerning alleged irregularities in a 2016 recruitment examination
- Legal basis
- Prevention of Money Laundering Act
