Harish Rawat resigns from Congress posts after ED raids on aide

Harish Rawat has resigned from his Congress party posts after the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids on his personal assistant. The searches led to the seizure of cash and gold, prompting Rawat to step down to avoid any perception of weakness, officials said.

The Enforcement Directorate's raids uncovered cash and gold at the residence of Rawat's aide. The investigation involves allegations of fraudulent manipulation of examination answer sheets, where roll numbers on under-filled OMR sheets were recorded and handed over to private computer agency personnel to alter answer bubbles before resealing. This was reportedly done in exchange for illegal gratification routed through middlemen. Rawat was described by sources as a very decent, humble, and hardworking person.