Former Gujarat chief minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Rupani, who was aboard Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, has died, said state BJP president and Union Minister C R Paatil.
Sixty-eight-year-old Rupani, was going to London to meet his daughter. Sources told Vibes of India that his wife Anjali, who is in London, is on his way back to Ahmedabad after the crash.
Rupani and Anjali were to go to London together on June 3. Their tickets were also booked. However, Rupani had cancelled his ticket and was to join her later on as bye-election was announced in Ludhiana, Punjab. Rupani was BJP’s in-charge for Punjab.
Rupani was seated on seat 2D.
Over 200 passengers and students of the B J Medical College where AI 171 crashed are reported to have lost lives. Several others are injured and underoging treatment at the hospital.
Sources in the Civil Hospital say that the death toll is above 200 and can rise.
Paatil told reporters that Rupani has passed away and the BJP family is deeply saddened. “May God grant peace to all the departed souls, and give strength and peace to the families of the deceased,” he added.
Rupani served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from August 2016 to September 2021, before resigning ahead of the 2022 state elections. His entire cabinet had resigned along with him when he resigned as the chief minister.
Rupani is the second politician who served as the Gujarat CM who died in an air accident. This is 60 years after Balwantrai Mehta’s death in a 1965 plane crash.
Tributes have been pouring in for Rupani.
“Saddened by the tragic demise of former Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Vijay Rupani Ji in the unfortunate plane crash near Ahmedabad. His unwavering commitment to public service will always be remembered. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones at this moment of grief,” former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh wrote on X.
BJP MP Sambit Patra called the demise Rupani “extremely painful and deeply shocking”.
“His passing is an irreparable loss not just for Gujarat, but for Indian politics as a whole. May Lord Jagannath grant the departed soul a place at His divine feet and give strength and courage to the bereaved family members and supporters in this difficult time. Om Shanti,” Patra wrote on X.
Rupani was born to Mayaben and Ramniklal on June 12, 1956 in Ragoon, present day Yangon, Myanmar. A post graduate in Law, Rupani is survived by wife Anjali, a son and a daughter. His family had moved to Rajkot in 1960 due to political instability in Burma.
He began his politican career with the ABVP and later on joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Jan Sangh. He was jailed during emergency and also served as a pracharak of the RSS.
Rupani was also elected as a corporator during his career and had also served as a Rajya Sabha member.
He was picked up by the BJP leadership as Anandiben Patel’s successor as the Gujarat chief minister when she resigned as the chief minister citing “75 year age criteria”.
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