Ahmedabad air crash: Ex-Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani among victims, confirms BJP; calls his demise ‘a big loss’ | India News

NEW DELHI: BJP leader and former Gujarat chief ministerVijay Rupani is among the victims of the Ahmedabad Air India crash, top leaders of the party confirmed on Thursday.Also Read | Ahmedabad Air India crash: Former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani among passengers“Our leader Vijay Rupani, was going (to London) to meet his family. He is also a victim in this incident. May his soul rest in peace. This is a big loss for the BJP,” Union minister and Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil told reporters.BJP MP Sambit Patra called Rupani’s demise an “irreparable loss.”“The news of the tragic demise of former chief minister of Gujarat and senior member of the BJP family, Vijay Rupani ji, in the unfortunate plane crash in Ahmedabad is extremely painful and heart-wrenching. This is an irreparable loss not only for Gujarat but for the Indian politics,” Patra posted on X.Rupani was among 242 people on board the London-bound flight which took off from Ahmedabad at 1:38 pm and crashed within minutes of take-off. There were 230 passengers (169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian), two pilots and 10 cabin crew.The BJP leader was the 16th chief minister of Gujarat, in office from August 2016 to September 2021.