Official information regarding casualties is still pending. Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani expressed his condolences for Rupani on X but deleted his post shortly thereafter. No further confirmations have been received, and this report will be updated as more details emerge.
Click here for live updates on the Ahmedabad plane crash
The Air India B787 Dreamliner was en route from Ahmedabad to London (Gatwick) when it crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel in Meghani Nagar just five minutes after takeoff at 1:38 pm.
Who is Vijay Rupani
Vijay Rupani, noted for his understated demeanor, climbed the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and became Gujarat’s Chief Minister in 2016.
Born in Rangoon (currently Yangon, Myanmar), Rupani was involved with an RSS shakha during his school years. He later joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Sangh, before officially becoming part of the BJP.
A member of Gujarat’s Jain community, Rupani primarily worked within the party’s organization before winning his first Assembly election from Rajkot West in a bypoll in 2014.
He earned a law degree and served as a Rajya Sabha MP from 2006 to 2012. In 2006, he chaired the Gujarat Tourism Development Corporation and launched the popular “Khushboo Gujarat Ki” campaign featuring Amitabh Bachchan. By 2013, he was leading the Gujarat Municipal Finance Board.
Rupani was appointed state BJP president in February 2016 and succeeded Anandiben Patel as Chief Minister after her resignation due to criticism over the Patidar and Dalit agitations. He adeptly handled internal dissent and public unrest, maintaining the BJP’s leadership in the state, despite a reduction in its Assembly seat count below 100 for the first time in years.
Additionally, he served as the Mayor of Rajkot during the 1996–97 term.
