Ahmedabad: Senior BJP leader and former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani died in a plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Thursday. He was 68 years old.
The life of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is an inspirational story of Indian politics, which shows a unique confluence of struggle, commitment and public service. He was not only a dedicated leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but also played an important role as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Vijay Rupani was born on 2 August 1956 in Yangon city of Myanmar (then Burma). He was the youngest of seven children of his father Ramaniklal Rupani and mother Mayaben. His father went there for business. However, due to political turmoil in Myanmar in 1960, his family returned to India and settled in Rajkot city of Gujarat.
Rupani, who grew up in Rajkot, completed his education from Saurashtra University, where he obtained BA and LLB degrees. From his student days, he was attracted to nationalist ideology and joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
In 1971, Rupani joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and this is where the foundation of his public life was laid. During the Emergency in 1975, he came forward to protect democracy and spent 11 months in jail.
In 1996-97, he became the mayor of Rajkot Municipal Corporation. After this, his political career progressed rapidly. In 1998, he was appointed the state secretary of Gujarat BJP.
In 2006, Vijay Rupani was made the chairman of Gujarat Tourism Corporation. In the same year, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha and till 2012, he represented Gujarat in the Upper House.
In 2013, when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he was appointed the chairman of the Gujarat Municipal Finance Board.
In 2014, Vijay Rupani contested and won the Rajkot West assembly seat. After this, he was made the Transport Minister in the cabinet of Anandiben Patel.
In 2016, he was appointed the state president of Gujarat BJP. On August 7 of the same year, he took oath as the Chief Minister of the state.
In the 2017 assembly elections, the BJP won under the leadership of Vijay Rupani and he once again became the Chief Minister. He held this post till 2021 and remained a symbol of stability and good governance in the politics of the state. He was known as a CM of a very calm nature.
Vijay Rupani married Anjali, a member of the BJP Mahila Morcha. He has two sons and a daughter. One son died in a car accident. His daughter is married, while his second son is an engineer.
