Cong to stay out of Jharkhand govt

Ranchi: After a smooth ride to power in Jharkhand, the UPA now finds it hard going through the motions of government formation.

While the problems of the chief minister’s post have been by and large sorted out, chief minister-designate Madhu Koda is now finding it difficult to give a shape to his government.

In fact, he has left everything to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren, Congress leaders and others. The numbers game is complicated with independents ruling the roost, leaving little scope for the Congress that leads the UPA.

On its part, the Congress is playing it safe, careful that it doesn’t end up burning its fingers in the power struggle.

In fact, the Congress is not in a mood to go head over heels to form a government. For one, the party knows that while the road to power looks smooth, it won't have a very comfortable situation to lead a rag-tag coalition comprising a number of independents.

Also a bitter power struggle within the ranks of the coalition and the over-ambitious independents has made it a tough task for Koda to constitute the Cabinet.

Under such circumstances, it is possible that the Congress might stay out of the government and provide only outside support to the coalition. The Congress President has already asked the RJD and the JMM -- two coalition partners -- to take the lead in the government formation “in consultation with the independent MLAs”.

“It is indeed a difficult task to satisfy everyone while forming the government. The independents cannot be ignored and most of them will be inducted in the Cabinet. Considering the numbers, the Congress has decided to support the government from outside,” said a senior Congress leader.

In Jharkhand, the Cabinet can have a maximum of 12 ministers, including the Chief Minister. In the 12, seven independents will have to be accommodated, including Madhu Koda himself and the three rebel ministers of the Munda government - Kamlesh Singh, Enos Ekka and Harinarayan Rai.

The other five slots will be divided between the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which might get three berths, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) with two portfolios.

The eighth independent legislator, Stephen Marandi. is undecided whether to join the government or not. The wrangle, it is learnt, doesn't get over with just the numbers.

The struggle is also over key ministries like home, rural development, road and construction and mines. JMM wants home as it is the largest party of the UPA with 17 legislators. Of the others, the Congress has nine legislators and the RJD seven in the 82-member assembly.

And both the JMM and the RJD want the post of deputy chief minister. To complicate matters further, Enos Ekka wants it too.

According to sources, the Congress has claimed the post of Speaker with Inder Singh Namdhari already tendering his resignation. The party wants Pradeep Balmuchu, who was pro tem speaker in the short-lived Shibu Soren Government, to be appointed to the post.

The road ahead could prove to be bumpier than the task of toppling the NDA government, which went out of office Thursday with Arjun Munda quitting even before the proposed trust vote could be held.

(With inputs from IANS)