Age 68 Vijay Rupani was a former Gujarat Chief Minister who was tragically killed in the recent Air India crash, find out more about him below
Rupani tragically passed away in the crash of Air India Flight AI 171 bound for London from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.
Who is Vijay Rupani, ex-Gujarat CM killed in Air India plane crash, biography, age, family, wife, son, education, religion, caste, current position and net worth
Aaj tak literally created AI Images of Vijay Rupani to create a video representation of the boing plane crash.
Insensitivity at its peak.
shameful#planecrash #Ahmedabad pic.twitter.com/I6jER7arha— Manish🇮🇳 (@manibhaii16) June 12, 2025
According to reports, the plane crashed shortly after takeoff in a residential area of Meghani Nagar, claiming 242 lives.
Vijay Rupani dies in tragic Air India crash
Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani was traveling onboard Air India Flight AI 171 when the flight seemingly crashed shortly after takeoff at around 1:38 p.m. According to reports, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner issued a distress “MAYDAY” call before losing contact with air traffic control. Following the signal, the plane crashed into a densely populated area, with rescue teams responding swiftly. Sadly, there was only one survivor among the passengers and crew.
#VijayRupani
This heart wrenching incident shook the soul💔😭
Humble tribute to former Chief Minister Shri Vijay Rupani ji,
May God give peace to his soul. 🙏#planecrash | #AirIndia | एयर इंडिया |पूर्व सीएम विजय रूपानी | #Ahemdabad pic.twitter.com/AGwptTtyL9— Aditya Yadav (@YadavAditya01) June 12, 2025
Vijay Rupani biography
Vijaybhai Ramniklalbhai Rupani was a veteran politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who was born on August 2, 1956, in Yangon, Myanmar. He served as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat from the years 2016 to 2021, and notably held office for two consecutive terms. He was a longtime representative of Rajkot West in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.
Rupani was currently the BJP in-charge for Punjab and Chandigarh.
Age and height
Vijay Rupani was 68 years old at the time of his death and stood approximately at 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm).
Family
Rupani was born to Ramniklal Rupani, who ran a trading firm called Rasiklal & Sons in Rajkot. He came from a large family and he had six other siblings.
Caste and religion
Vijay Rupani belonged to the Jain Bania community and was a follower of Hinduism.
Education
Rupani graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dharmendrasinhji Arts College in 1977 in Rajkot, before earning his LLB from Saurashtra University in 1980.
Wife and children
Vijay Rupani leaves behind his wife, Anjali, who was actively involved in the BJP’s women’s wing. The couple have three children together, two sons Rushabh and Pujit, and one daughter, Radhika. Their youngest son, Pujit, passed away in an accident years earlier, which prompted the family to start the Pujit Rupani Memorial Trust.
Political career
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Vijay Rupani started out his political journey in 1971 when he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Jan Sangh. His journey was filled with commitment and resilience, and he even served time in jail during the Emergency. He has also worked as an RSS Pracharak and rose through the BJP ranks as a corporator, Rajkot Mayor, and Rajya Sabha member.
Vijay has held various key roles over the years, including chairman of Gujarat Tourism, Gujarat Finance Board, and as BJP Gujarat President. As the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani focused on development, infrastructure, and governance reforms. He eventually resigned in 2021, but has remained an influential figure in Gujarat politics up until his passing.
His income tax returns for the financial year 2016-2017 show a total income of Rs 18,01,820 for himself and Rs 3,37,000 for his spouse and the movable assets declared by Rupani include cash holdings of Rs 2,10,233 and bank deposits amounting to Rs 74,93,158. He had investments in shares and mutual funds valued at Rs 3,00,96,412 and other assets include personal loans given out worth Rs 82,55,036 and motor vehicles valued at Rs 17,85,480.
His total assets stood at Rs.3 crore and liabilities at Rs.83 lakhs.