Will the governance challenges Dhumal faces, if not effectively met, prove politically costly for the ruling BJP? It will be appropriate to begin with an overview of the state's political scenario before dealing with the governance challenges.

Presently, both the BJP and the Congress are divided houses. Even as the completion of the state BJP elections in which Khimi Ram was elected president has ostensibly brought surface peace in the faction-ridden party, one can notice signs of Dhumal's party adversaries again becoming active. Followers of the former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar and J.P. Nadda are planning to celebrate the two's elevation as National Vice President and general secretary respectively by publicly honouring them at Palampur, Shanta Kumar's home town. The party's central leadership had shifted the two leaders to the Centre in order to ensure a smooth-sailing for Dhumal. Their supporters apparently want to translate their elevation into a show of strength at Palampur.

With the elections to its lower units almost complete, the Congress is now expected to authorize Sonia Gandhi, the ritual the PCCs usually follow for electing their leaderships, to choose the PCC president. In the district units elections, the CLP leader Vidya Stokes and PCC president Kaul Singh's group has gained a dominant position while the Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh's group has an edge in PCC delegates elections.

Presently there is no other political party in the state capable of challenging Dhumal's rule and changing the state's two-party system which has been alternately bringing the Congress and BJP into power. It was only the Congress rebel Sukh Ram whose regional party by allying with the BJP had helped in the formation of the BJP-led coalition government in 1997. Later, however, Sukh Ram merged his party into the Congress.

The Left which once used to have some pockets of influence in the state has also received a setback. Its dominance among the Himachal University's students through the CPM-led SFI, however, remains unchallenged. The BSP stands marginalized in the hill state. The maverick parties hopper Vijay Singh Mankotia has also virtually been rendered a political non-entity.

Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janta Dal is now trying to set up its unit in the hill state. Lalu must have anticipated that his party might be derecognized by the Election Commission - this has now happened — when he last year decided to expand his party's network in the north-western region states of Punjab, Haryana, Himchal Pradesh and Chandigarh where there is a large workforce of Bihari and UP labourers. RJD has already set up party units in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. Set up last year, its Chandigarh unit headed by an influential taxation expert Ravinder Krishan has been most active. It also unsuccessfully contested the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat in 2009.

In today's political era, it is governance more than political issues which usually decide a ruling party's fate. With no worthwhile political challenges being faced by the Dhumal government, it is its questionable decisions, flip-flop stand and indecisiveness in certain matters which are casting their shadow on its image.

Among such issues is the government decision to allow proliferation of private universities in the state. Questioning the wisdom in allowing coming up of 18 private universities -the largest number in a state- the ABVP's national secretary Ravi Kumar says that the issue will be raised at the national level.

The ABVP has valid reasons for opposing allowing of such a large number of private universities in a small state like Himachal. These universities charge exorbitant fees which only the well-off can pay. If the intention behind allowing such universities is to provide higher education to largest number of students, it cannot be fulfilled since the poor will not be able to seek admissions in such universities some of which also lack proper infrastructure and qualified faculty.

Although the Chief Minister has frequently expressed his passion for speedy development of the state, particularly in power, tourism and infrastructure sectors, the government's vacillating attitude on some major projects belies his claims. Such projects include the 960 MG Jangi Thopan Powari hydel project in Kinnaur district and the ambitious Himalayan Sky Village projects.

Given go ahead by the former Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government several years ago, these projects are still awaiting implementation. Whether it is the government's flip-flop stand on the two projects or other reasons or motives which have made them the subject matter of the cases currently going on in higher courts, the fact remains that the work on these projects has not started even after the lapse of several years. This has not only belied official claims of promoting tourism and exploiting the state's vast power potential but has also deprived the state of major avenues of employment and revenue.

Roads are the lifeline of hill states. Most Himachal's roads are in a dilapidated state. This is not only adversely affecting tourism but also the state's economy. The state is the largest producer of apples. The apple season has started and hundreds of apple-laden trucks daily carry the fruit from the interior areas of the state. The bad condition of the roads not only causes delay in their transportation to the country's different markets and results in traffic jams on the state's narrow roads but also leads to greater wear and tear of the vehicles.

It is the cumulative effect of governance challenges more than the political factors that usually decide a ruling party's fate. The state's ruling BJP leadership, however, seems to believe in the dictum that people are in greater need of your praise when they try and fail than when they try and succeed. (IPA Service)