Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani among victims of Ahmedabad air crash

Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the victims of the Ahmedabad air crash that shocked the nation on Thursday. He was 68.

The London-bound Air India plane crashed near Ahmedabad airport shortly after takeoff on Thursday afternoon. The aircraft, carrying 242 passengers and crew, went down in a residential area just minutes after departure. "Vijay Rupani was going to London by the Air India flight," said senior state BJP leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.

The BJP leader served as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat from August 2016 to September 2021. According to media reports, his wife, Anjali Rupani, is currently in London, and he was on the ill-fated flight to accompany her back home.

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A soft-spoken leader within party ranks, Rupani ensured the BJP won all six municipal corporation elections and secured 75 of 81 municipal councils and 196 out of 231 taluka panchayats during his tenure (as of February 2021). He is also credited with tactfully handling the Patidar quota agitation and diminishing Hardik Patel's influence within the community.

Rupani became the second BJP Chief Minister in Gujarat after Narendra Modi to complete five years in office. Prior to becoming Chief Minister, the Rangoon-born politician served Gujarat in various capacities, including holding the portfolios of Transport, Water Supply, Labour & Employment under Chief Minister Anandiben Patel. Following his resignation in September 2021, Bhupendrabhai Patel succeeded him as the Chief Minister of the coastal state.

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His family moved to Rajkot in 1960 due to political instability in Myanmar. After graduating from Dharmendrasinhji Arts College, Rupani earned an LLB from Saurashtra University. His political journey began when he joined the RSS’s student wing — the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Like many BJP leaders of his generation, Rupani became a BJP worker from the party’s inception, owing to his roots in the Jan Sangh.