Ahmedabad: The entire country has been shaken by the tragic Ahmedabad plane crash. More than 250 people, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijaybhai Rupani, lost their lives in the devastating incident. Upon receiving the news, Vijaybhai Rupani’s wife, Anjaliben, arrived in Ahmedabad from London this morning. The atmosphere was deeply emotional. People have been gathering at Rupani’s residence in Gandhinagar to offer their condolences. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Anjaliben and expressed his sympathies. Their son, Rishabh, is expected to return from the United States tomorrow, after which Vijaybhai Rupani’s last rites will be performed in Rajkot.

According to reports, just before boarding the flight, Vijaybhai Rupani made a final phone call to Anjaliben. His last words were: “Anju, I’ve boarded the flight. It’s about to take off. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Earlier on Friday morning, when Anjaliben arrived at the Ahmedabad airport, the scene was heart-wrenching. She said, “Let me see Vijay’s face once.” Her words brought tears to everyone’s eyes. Looking at the commandos who were assigned to Vijaybhai’s security, she said, “You always took such good care of Sahib. Why didn’t you take care of him yesterday?” Hearing this, the commandos also broke down emotionally. Anjaliben wept continuously for 20 minutes, leaving everyone present in tears. She later left for their bungalow in Gandhinagar.

At the time of the crash, Anjaliben was in London at her daughter’s house. She had left for London on May 19 to attend a small religious function and had planned to travel with friends afterward. Vijay Rupani was supposed to travel to London with his close friends Nitin Bhardwaj and Dhansukhbhai Bhanderi. All three had originally booked tickets for June 5. However, the plan changed because Rupani, who was in charge of the Punjab BJP and involved in a by-election in Ludhiana, had to stay back. Only Dhansukhbhai Bhanderi flew to London on June 5. Later, Rupani and Nitin Bhardwaj rebooked their tickets for June 10. But due to work commitments, Rupani canceled again and sent Bhardwaj instead. He finally booked his own ticket for June 12. Thus, he had canceled his trip twice. Tragically, he lost his life in the crash on June 12.

Before the crash, Vijay Rupani appeared in two videos at the airport — one showing him entering the boarding gate and another of him walking through the lounge, speaking on his phone.

In an Instagram story posted by Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, a UK citizen and founder of The Wellness Foundry, and director Jamie, Rupani was accidentally captured at the Ahmedabad airport. Both British nationals had been visiting Gujarat for a few days.

In yet another coincidence, the date of Vijaybhai Rupani’s death was 12-06-2025, and 1206 was his favorite number — his car and Activa bore this number, and he often chose 12-06 as the date for important events. In Rajkot, people recognize vehicles bearing 1206 as belonging to Vijaybhai. Strangely, he boarded the ill-fated flight on 12-06 and passed away on the same day.

Vijay Rupani was born on August 2, 1956, in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar). Though Burmese by birth, he was wholeheartedly a Gujarati by karma, having settled in Rajkot. Associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since 1971, he held numerous posts within the BJP organization and the government. Starting as a corporator, he rose through the ranks to become the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He also served as a Member of Parliament.