Nobody in Ranchi seems to know for sure who really runs the government there. The chief minister, Mr Madhu Koda, only presides over an administrative vacuum. It is pointless, however, to blame him entirely for the situation. He had done little to earn his position; the Congress’s anxiety to get rid of the previous government of Mr Arjun Munda led to Mr Koda’s elevation to the chief minister’s office. But he seems to be more a prisoner of coalition politics than a free agent. Jharkhand, thus, has a chief minister who enjoys little confidence among his cabinet colleagues or the parties that propped him up to head the government. The new constitutional restriction on the size of a cabinet ensured that Mr Koda could not have more than twelve ministers. Those who were left out of his cabinet have now made the going difficult for him. Worse, the power behind the throne is Mr Shibu Soren in his capacity as the chairman of the steering committee of the United Progressive Alliance. It does not really matter if the committee is not fully functional. Mr Soren is the one who calls the shots. Mr Koda is, at best, a figurehead.

This is a dangerous drift for a state that faces the twin challenges of grinding poverty and Maoist extremism. A recent survey has indicated that the child mortality rate in Jharkhand is far above the national average. It is also among the states with the lowest consumption of food and availability of drinking water. The growth of the Maoist rebellion there is directly related to the state’s poverty level. It is also a manifestation of the poor people’s disillusionment with the political class. Even Bihar, under Mr Nitish Kumar, has shown signs of a slow turnaround. But political instability has been taking its toll on all aspects of life in Jharkhand. True, even the previous National Democratic Alliance government, led by Mr Munda, was also an unstable one. The Congress, which led the move to oust the NDA government, cannot shirk its responsibility in Jharkhand. In fact, if Mr Koda’s government is too unstable to work, a spell of president’s rule followed by fresh elections could be a better option. The endless games of coalition politics may serve the interests of the politicians but not of the people. Two weeks from now, Jharkhand will complete six years of its existence. So far, its people have had little to cheer about, thanks to the politicians.