New Delhi, June 13. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the 242 people who died in the crash of Air India Flight AI171 shortly after it took off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
The tragic incident turned especially grim for those close to Rupani, for whom the date ‘1206’ – June 12 – had long held personal and political significance.
According to a report in the NDV news website, photographs taken at his Rajkot residence show parked vehicles, still bearing the same 1206 registration that he had kept across years of public life.
Born in 1956 in Yangon, Myanmar, Rupani’s family relocated to Rajkot during the political unrest in Southeast Asia in the 1960s. His political career began with student activism, eventually leading to his election as a Rajkot municipal corporator in 1987.
Over the years, he rose through the ranks of the BJP, holding several key posts, including cabinet portfolios such as transport, water supply, and labour. He became Gujarat’s 16th Chief Minister in August 2016 and served until September 2021, when he stepped down as part of the BJP’s leadership reshuffle ahead of state elections.
Though no longer in office, Rupani continued to play an influential role in the BJP’s Gujarat unit, offering strategic counsel on policy and organisational matters.
The date that once symbolised promise in his career has now become a marker of tragedy.
