India news: Raghav Chadha, 6 other AAP MPs join BJP

What you need to know

• Prominent AAP leader Raghav Chadha joined BJP with six other MPs
• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is on a visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Here's a roundup of some of the major headlines out of India on Saturday, April 25:

Rahul Gandhi set to visit Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is set to visit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for three days, where he will meet Great Nicobar tribal council members and highlight concerns over the Indian government's Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project.

"Rahul Gandhi will be on a three-day visit (April 26-28) to Andaman and Nicobar… He will visit the Nicobar islands on the third day and we hope the visit goes smoothly," Congress in charge of Andaman and Nicobar Manickam Tagore said during a press briefing.

The Rs 810 billion (€7.34 billion, $8.6 billion) project has remained embroiled in controversy.

Conservationists have opposed the project, saying it will cause massive ecological damage and threaten theindigenous Nicobarese and Shompen tribes.

The project's adverse impacts have also been raised by the opposition in the parliament.

The BJP-led government heavily promotes the project as a vital "strategic asset" for national security and economic growth and to challenge China's influence in the Indian Ocean.

Raghav Chadha, 6 other AAP lawmakers quit to 'merge' with BJP

Prominent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chaddha resigned from the party and has joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with six other MPs. 

Chadha's announcement came three weeks after he was removed as the deputy leader of the Rajya Sabha.

The move has dealt a serious blow to the party's strength in the upper house of Indian parliament, which has dropped from 10 members to three.

The timing of the announcement is also significant as it comes ahead of the 2027 assembly elections in the northern state of Punjab — an AAP stronghold.

The "merger" of two-thirds of AAP MPs with the BJP will allow Chadha and the other MPs who left the AAP to avoid being challenged under India's anti-defection law, as the law exempts members of the Rajya Sabha from anti-defection disqualification if two-thirds of their party’s legislators agree to merge with another party.

Welcome to our coverage

Good morning! This is Midhat from New Delhi bringing you all the deets from India today.

The temperatures have soared in the north, prompting authorities to issue a heatwave alert for the national capital. The maximum temperature is expected to range between 42 and 44 degrees Celsius (107.6 to 111.2 degrees Fahrenheit), while the minimum may settle around 25.2 degrees Celsius in Delhi.

The announcement of resignation by several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs has dealt a blow to the party, with fears of defection.

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest from the country.