Former influential minister among dead in Air India plane crash

Vijay Rupani, a former influential Chief Minister of Gujarat, was among passengers killed in the London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed shortly after take-off from the Ahmedabad airport today.

“The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals,” Air India posted on X.

Rupani is an Indian politician who served as the 16th chief minister of Gujarat from August 2016 to September 2021.

Born on August 2, 1956, in Rangoon (now Yangon, Myanmar), he has been a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Rupani’s political career spans several decades, during which he held various key positions, including Mayor of Rajkot (1996–1997), Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (2006–2012), and Gujarat state cabinet minister overseeing portfolios such as transport, labour, and water supply.