The alliance seemed to be in trouble as Shiv Sena was not ready to accept the BJP’s demand for equal seat sharing in Maharashtra assembly polls.

MUMBAI: Days after a squabble over the seat-sharing in the upcoming assembly polls in Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party has bowed down to Shiv Sena’s demand of 135 seats, and sent a list of 119 seats to the central leadership, CNN IBN reports.

The BJP-Sena alliance seemed to be in trouble as the Uddhav Thackeray-led party was not ready to accept the BJP’s demand for equal seat sharing and insisted that the chief minister should be from the Shiv Sena.

Senior BJP leaders from Maharashtra, including Devendra Fadnavis and Vinod Tawde, met union minister Nitin Gadkari at his New Delhi residence to discuss the issue.

Both parties have reportedly had heated seat-sharing discussions in the last few days.

Also, the dismal performance in the recently-concluded by-polls in ten states could be one of the reasons for the BJP’s climb-down.

The Shiv Sena on Wednesday described the Sep 13 by-poll results as an “unexpected shock and surprise” and said there are lessons to be learnt from it for the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

“Don’t take the voters for granted… They are very intelligent. Keep your feet on the ground and don’t indulge in sword-fights from the air… Otherwise, the people will skin you,” the party said in an oblique reference to ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in an edit in the party organ ‘Saamana’.The edit came a day after the BJP suffered a setback in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan by-polls. (With inputs from agencies)

London- Britan is under 72 hours away from a once-in-a-lifetime vote on Scottish independence that could break up the 307-year-old United Kingdom, splitting apart one of America’s key global allies. With polls suggesting that a Scottish split from the rest of Britain is a real possibility, lawmakers including Prime Minister David Cameron are making urgent appeals to save Britain its biggest constitutional upheaval since the Wars of Independence that led to the creation of the United States.

What will be voted on?

More than 4.2 million people in Scotland — or 97 percent of the adult population — have registered to vote on whether or not to remain part of the United Kingdom.

Scotland was an independent country until 1707, when the Act of Union with England led to the creation of Great Britain and, ultimately, the United Kingdom — which also includes Northern Ireland.

It retained its own separate legal and education systems and was granted its own devolved parliament in Edinburgh in 1999 but control of defense, borders and taxation remain with the U.K. parliament in London’s Westminster and ultimate authority lies with Queen Elizabeth II.

Britain’s government agreed to recognize the referendum, gambling that a likely ‘No’ vote would kill off the issue of Scottish independence for decades. But with polls now putting a ‘Yes’ vote within reach, the U.K. faces the serious prospect of a break-up.

How likely is Scotland to become independent?

Within two generations, Scottish independence has gone from an eccentric fringe movement to a dominant political force that is on the cusp of victory.

Until last month, the pro-Union Better Together ‘No’ campaign enjoyed a consistent and comfortable lead in opinion polls but a sudden surge in support for the pro-independence ‘Yes’ side has all but eliminated the gap. A “poll of polls” published by ScotCen on Monday puts ‘No’ at 51 percent and ‘Yes’ just two points behind, at 49 percent. “In a vote where the winning side needs 50% + 1 of votes cast, it is clear that neither side can now be completely confident of victory,” the research organization said.

A major YouGov poll last week gave the ‘Yes’ side a slim majority, spooking the global markets and causing the pound sterling to sink by 1.3 percent on foreign exchange markets before recovering. British lawmakers, who previously vowed to stay out of Scotland’s national debate, have been making urgent visits to Scotland to implore voters to save the United Kingdom.

What is the case for independence?

The ‘Yes’ campaign is led by First Minister Alex Salmond, whose Scottish National Party has governed since 2007. It says Scots should have total control of their own affairs and that revenue from Scotland’s offshore oil fields would sustain the country’s economy. Support for independence was boosted by the election in 2010 of a Conservative British government, angering voters in Scotland where the Conservative party remains deeply unpopular.

How star-studded has the campaign been?

Edinburgh-born James Bond actor Sean Connery has been a decades-long supporter of Scottish independence, alongside Gerard Butler (“The Bounty Hunter”), Brian Cox (“The Bourne Supremacy,” “Braveheart”) and Alan Cumming (“The Good Wife”). Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood has also said a ‘Yes’ vote would be “great.”

What happens if Scotland votes ‘No’?

No matter what happens, Scotland’s relationship with the rest of the U.K. will change. In a last-ditch attempt to persuade Scots to vote ‘No’, Cameron last week promised future extra powers for Scotland’s existing devolved parliament if Scots chose to vote ‘No’. However, this olive branch may be too late to change Thursday’s result; Cameron had rejected extra powers as a middle-way option on the ballot paper, gambling that most voters would choose ‘No’ if given a straight Yes/No question on independence. Offering more devolved government at such a late stage has been dismissed by the ‘Yes’ side as a panic measure.

And whatever the outcome, the 18-month campaign has left social divisions as supporters on both sides trading acrimonious barbs over social media using the hashtag #indyref. Thursday’s poll has become a topic to avoid in bars and family gatherings. Fiona Scott, whose father taught Salmond at school, wrote in an open letter to The Herald newspaper on Saturday that the referendum “has succeeded in creating divisions across Scotland that were not there before and will still exit after the referendum, no matter which way the vote goes.” She added: “Relationships between neighbors are now threatened if you indicate which way you are voting.”

The promo and poster of filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker’s TV show EVEREST was launched on Tuesday. Co-directed by Glenn Baretto and Ankush Mohla, the Star Plus show is about the struggle of a daughter, who in order to gain her father’s acceptance decides to climb the highest mountain of the world – Mount Evere

“I was intrigued by mountaineers and always used to think what they felt after reaching the peak of any mountain. Now, I know it’s the inner satisfaction that they get,” Gowariker, who has written and produced the show, said.   “The show is not only about the female protagonist as each and every character has inner conflicts which they will deal with during the journey of our serial,” he added.

Touted as the most ambitious TV project, the show has managed to bring the magic of music maestro AR Rahman, who had composed tracks for the director’s 2008 film Jodhaa Akbar, on television. “Venturing into television was on my mind for a couple of years. Ashutosh came to me with the concept which was so intriguing. It is a very good start for me,” said Rahman at the launch.  – See more at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/television/first-look-ashutosh-gowariker-s-everest/article1-1265012.aspx#sthash.mozUcBkM.dpuf

The show’s script is penned by Mitali Mahajan. The makers collaborated with Nehru Institute of Mountaineering and shot at the peaks of Uttarakhand and Nepal.

As a token of appreciation, the makers of the show introduced behind the camera people, including costume and photography departments at the show’s promo and poster launch.

The promo portrays a larger than life image of the show with a promise to give television audience cinematic experience.  “Our aim was to take cinema at audience’s home,” said Gowariker.

Incheon: The XVII Asian Games are all set to kick-start officially within a couple of days from now. The two-week long multi-sporting event is going to feature almost 10,000 athletes, which is taking place at the South Korean port city Incheon from September 19 to October 4.

Incheon is the third city in South Korea after Seoul (1986) and Busan (2002) to host the Asian Games.

The opening ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, will feature world-renowned artists like “Gangnam Style” singer PSY and Chinese pianist Lang Lang to name a few.

Though, before the opening ceremony, the football competition had already started on Sunday. Japan, the defending men’s champion, have already posted a victory over Kuwait.

Interestingly, during the Games, North Korean flag can be displayed, as the South Korean government has lifted the ban over the (North Korean) flags for Asian Games venues.

Athletes from all over Asia will compete in 439 events in 36 sports during the Games, which could prove major dress rehearsals for many of them ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

If China, who have been topping the medal-tally for last many editions, has sent the largest contingent of nearly 900 athletes, then tiny Brunei has the smallest delegation, with just 11 athletes at their disposal.

India, who finished sixth in the last edition at Guangzhou has sent a strong contingent for the XVII Asiad consisting of 516 athletes, who will compete in 28 events.

Will the official slogan of “Diversity Shines Here” we hope the Games will see all the athletes, who are coming from different walks of life, playing with a healthy sporting spirit to make the Asiad a memorable one in every possible sense.

File photo of Vijay Kumar Gavit who quit the NCP to join the BJP today.

Mumbai:  Two politicians who are influential, in their respective areas, have jumped from the NCP to the BJP in a span of one week.

Former Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Vijay Kumar Gavit, who was expelled from the NCP, switched parties today. He was welcomed into the BJP by Eknath Khadse, the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
Mr Gavit’s move comes after his daughter, Heena Gavit took on the Congress’s nine-time MP Manikrao Gavit in its bastion Nandurbar and defeated him.

Two days ago, former Tribal Development Minister Babanrao Pachpute was also welcomed into the party by none other than BJP President Amit Shah who was on a visit to Mumbai to take stock of the preparations for the assembly elections.

But the BJP, which has previously attacked both these politicians and accused them of being corrupt, is now finding ways to defend their entry into the party.

Mr Khadse says, “If there is any evidence against Vijay Kumar Gavit the party will not keep him.”

While Mr Pachpute has been accused of wrongdoing in the Tribal Development Scam where products meant for the welfare of tribals were bought at higher costs, Mr Gavit is facing an enquiry on the orders of the Bombay High Court in connection with the same scam. He is also facing an enquiry by the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau which was cleared by the Congress-NCP government soon after he left the NCP.

Mr Gavit however defends himself, saying, “The charges against me are politically motivated. Congress does not want me to stay in Nandurbar. People are with us because we will bring development to the area.”

Both Babanrao Pachpute and Vijay Kumar Gavit were ministers in the Congress NCP government just months ago. But in election season the ability to win matters and the BJP is using the Congress-NCP government’s clean chit to these leaders while they were with them to defend their entry as it prepares to fight the Maharashtra polls on the anti-corruption plank.