Harish Rawat quits Congress posts after ED raids aide in exam case

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat resigned from two Congress party positions on September 12, 2026, following an Enforcement Directorate (ED) search of his former aide's residence in connection with a 2016 recruitment exam case. Rawat stepped down as a member of the executive of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee and as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee, stating he did not want the issue to weaken the party's anti-corruption campaign ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections. The ED announced on September 11 that it had conducted searches on September 10 at multiple locations in Dehradun under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The searches targeted premises linked to former officials of the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) and a private computer agency, in connection with alleged irregularities in the 2016 Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari recruitment examination. Among those searched was the residence of Chandan Singh Jeena, described by the agency as Rawat's current Personal Assistant and former Officer on Special Duty during Rawat's tenure as chief minister from 2014 to 2017.