Big blow to Congress in Uttarakhand: Senior leader Harish Rawat quits party posts

Dehradun: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat has resigned from all party posts following the recovery of cash and jewellery from the house of Chandan Singh Jeena by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Jeena was his OSD when Harish Rawat was Chief Minister from 2014 to 2017 and continues to be his PA even now.

According to the ED, the raids were conducted on Thursday, during which luxury wristwatches and Rs 32 lakh in cash were recovered from the premises of Chandan Singh Jeena. Jeena is alleged to have been involved in irregularities in the Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari (Village Development Officer) examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC). The case also involves alleged tampering with OMR answer sheets.

The allegation is that OMR sheets from the 2016 examination were removed from secure custody and taken to the residence of a senior official of the commission. The sheets were then allegedly handed over to personnel of a private computer agency.

The ED said Rs 32 lakh in unaccounted cash, 200 grams of gold coins and chains, and 12 luxury watches, including Rolex, Rado, Piaget, Movado and Tissot, were seized during the raid on September 10, 2026. In addition, Rs 52 lakh in the bank accounts of Jeena and his family members were frozen. According to the ED, the total value of the items seized could be around Rs 1.28 crore.

The former Chief Minister apparently found himself in an embarrassing situation and decided to resign from all party posts.

Harish Rawat is known to be an important member of the Congress party and was also a Member of Parliament earlier. He is also close to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, though he is not considered part of their inner circle. During the UPA regime, he served as the Union Water Resources Minister. As Chief Minister, he used to regularly deal directly with Sonia Gandhi, according to party sources. At present, he is a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

Rahul Gandhi had personally intervened during the 2021 Uttarakhand Congress leadership crisis involving Rawat and other state leaders. Rawat subsequently met Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and pledged to work under the party leadership.

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