Surat:Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has been officially confirmed dead following a tragic plane crash that occurred during his journey to London. Though initial reports hinted at his presence onboard, confirmation of his death came only late in the night after he succumbed to critical injuries in the hospital.
Rupani was travelling in the business class section of the flight, which had departed from Ahmedabad International Airport and was bound for London. He was on his way to visit his wife Anjali and their daughter, who currently reside in London. Among the 242 passengers and crew members onboard, only one person is reported to have survived the disaster.
Vijay Rupani served as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat from August 7, 2016, to September 11, 2021, across two terms. He took office after Anandiben Patel resigned amid public backlash following the Patidar agitation. Before becoming Chief Minister, Rupani held portfolios such as Transport, Labour, and Water Supply in the Gujarat cabinet.
During the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections, the BJP’s tally fell from 115 to 99 seats, weakening his political standing. Subsequently, with just a year to go before the next election, Rupani stepped down from the Chief Minister’s post, making way for Bhupendra Patel.
Rupani now becomes the second former Chief Minister of Gujarat to die in an aviation accident. The first was Balwantrai Mehta, a Congress leader and former CM, who perished in 1965 when a plane carrying him and his family was shot down by the Pakistani military.
