Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani Killed in Ahmedabad Plane Crash

Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was killed when an Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner went down minutes after departing from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Union Minister C.R. Patil later confirmed Rupani’s death, calling it a major loss for the state and the party.

Vijay Rupani, 68, was travelling to London on official work when the accident occurred. His death makes him the second Chief Minister from Gujarat to die in a plane crash, the first being Balwantrai Mehta in 1965.

A seasoned politician and a stalwart of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rupani took over as Chief Minister in August 2016 following the sudden resignation of Anandiben Patel. He remained in office until September 2021, after which Bhupendra Patel succeeded him.

Notably, Rupani had assumed the top post despite being a first-time MLA, elected from Rajkot West in 2014. At the time, he was serving as Gujarat BJP president and a minister in the state cabinet.

Rupani’s political journey began with his association with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was deeply influenced by the RSS’s ideology and served as a pracharak during the Emergency period, for which he was jailed.

In addition to his state-level leadership, Rupani also held a seat in the Rajya Sabha, representing Gujarat from 2006 to 2012. Throughout his career, he was known for his administrative acumen, grassroots connect, and loyalty to the party’s ideological foundations.