Ahmedabad, June 13 (IANS) The last rites of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who died in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, will be held in Rajkot on Saturday.

Rupani’s son, Rishabh Rupani, who lives in the United States, is en route to Ahmedabad and is expected to land at 4 a.m. on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Anjali Rupani arrived in Ahmedabad from London on Friday via a special chartered flight and proceeded directly to their Gandhinagar home.

Leaders from various quarters have been visiting his Gandhinagar residence to offer condolences to his wife, Anjali Rupani, and the grieving family.

Several senior BJP leaders, including Cabinet Minister Mulubhai Bera, Kunvarji Bavaliya, Kuber Dindor, Bhanu Babaria, and Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, have paid their respects at the residence.

Government officials have also visited the grieving family to express solidarity during this time of loss.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally met with Anjali Rupani and other family members to extend his condolences.

In a post on social media platform X, PM Modi wrote: “It is unimaginable that Vijaybhai is no longer among us. I’ve shared a decades-long bond with him. We worked shoulder-to-shoulder during some of the most challenging times. He was humble, sincere, and deeply committed to the ideology of the party. Rising through the ranks, Vijaybhai held key positions in the organisation and went on to serve Gujarat as its Chief Minister with great dedication.”

Vijay Rupani began his political journey with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) before becoming an active BJP worker.

He rose through the ranks of the party, serving as the Rajkot Mayor, a Rajya Sabha MP, and the Gujarat BJP President. Known for his disciplined and low-key style, he held key portfolios in the state cabinet before being appointed Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2016.

During his tenure, he focused on infrastructure development, digital governance, and industrial investment in the state.

Rupani remained a dedicated party loyalist who carried out the BJP’s vision with humility and steadfast commitment.

The Air India Dreamliner crashed into the hostel building of B.J. Medical College in the Civil Hospital campus shortly after takeoff. The crash triggered a massive explosion, killing 241 people on board.

–IANS

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