The district official who touched Shibu Soren’s feet as the latter walked out of a jail obviously had his politics right. It may be a matter of time before Mr Soren becomes Jharkhand’s chief minister. The strongest signal came from the present chief minister, Madhu Koda, who pledged to hand over the job to Mr Soren if the latter wanted it. But the official’s act, which so brazenly violated the code of conduct for civil servants, is a symptom of the malaise that plagues the state’s administration. Jharkhand may not be the only state where bureaucrats survive and thrive in their jobs by serving the interests of their political masters. But the administrative collapse in Ranchi has almost reached crisis point. The drift is, of course, a result of the political vacuum in the state. Mr Koda himself represents the political instability better than any other politician. An independent legislator, he became the chief minister only by switching his political loyalties. Everyone in Jharkhand knows he has little control over his own government. Leaders of the parties in the ruling coalition seem to be running their little fiefdoms within the government.

It may not be a bad idea, therefore, if Mr Soren takes over the reins of the government. He has been through bad patches in his political career. But his mass appeal is stronger than that of any other leader in the state. Also, his party, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, is the largest partner in the ruling United Progressive Alliance. It should only be logical that Mr Soren heads the government. If not anything else, this can give the government stability and some direction. He cannot be unaware of the problems facing the state, the Maoist violence being the worst of them. But he cannot hope to win the battle against the Maoists unless he restores some credibility to the administration. Given the level of corruption in the government, it is a tall order. Mr Soren himself and his party have also not been free from corruption charges. He had once been a leading light of the movement for a separate state for the tribal people. Having secured the state, the leaders of that movement betrayed the people’s trust. If he eventually takes over the chief ministership, Mr Soren will have one more chance to make amends and fulfil the movement’s promises. If he fails again, it would be bad for Jharkhand and worse for his own political future.