Last year, Congress Chief Minister Digvijay Singh lost the Madhya Pradesh (MP) state elections. In 2001, the Communist-led coalition lost in Kerala. Both governments had promoted decentralisation. Was their defeat a vote against the move for local governments and devolution of power? And, if decentralisation does not bring electoral benefits, will politicians invest in this idea in the future? This is when we know that devolution holds the key to development. We know that bureaucracies cannot plant trees that survive, or build and maintain local water systems, or protect grazing lands from encroachment, or run schools in which teachers come to work. But for people to participate, they need institutions, they need legal entitlements and they need funds to spend on what they think is their priority.