Yusuf Pathan To Get Half Of Disputed Vadodara Plot As 'Gift' Months After Joining BJP: Report

Former India cricketer and Trinamool Congress MP Yusuf Pathan is set to receive half of a disputed plot of land adjoining his family home in Vadodara as a 'gift' from the Gujarat government, with the remaining half to be purchased at a price estimated at around Rs 10 crore, according to a report by NDTV.

The development follows a prolonged legal and administrative dispute over the approximately 1,000-square-metre plot in Vadodara’s Tandalja locality, which Pathan had sought since 2012. The state administration has reportedly devised a framework to settle the matter, with revenue and municipal authorities tasked with coordinating the transfer.

The proposed arrangement comes amid questions over the use of public land and the timing of the decision, which follows years of wrangling between Pathan and the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), a BJP-run civic body.

Yusuf Pathan’s 14-Year Battle For Vadodara Plot

Pathan first sought a 99-year lease for the land in 2012, citing security concerns linked to his status as an international cricketer, the report said. The plot lies next to the family home where he lives with his brother, former India cricketer Irfan Pathan, their families and their parents.

While local municipal proposals initially considered transferring the land for residential security purposes, higher state authorities subsequently rejected the move, citing the need for transparent public bidding when disposing of public assets.

The dispute intensified after Pathan won the Berhampur Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal in 2024 as a Trinamool Congress candidate. Soon afterwards, the VMC issued him a notice to remove what it described as an encroachment on the disputed property. Pathan challenged the notice in the Gujarat High Court.

The court recently questioned the occupation of municipal land without a finalised allotment or proper financial clearance. With judicial scrutiny intensifying and the prospect of penalties looming, Pathan’s legal representatives reportedly withdrew the pending appeals unconditionally, allowing the administration to revisit the issue.

What Is The Gujarat Government’s Proposed Arrangement?

Under the reported executive arrangement, Pathan will receive half the plot’s value under special welfare provisions for distinguished international sportspersons who have represented India and hail from Gujarat. He will pay for the remaining half, estimated at around Rs 10 crore.

The state’s revenue and municipal departments are expected to coordinate the formal transfer. While municipal assets are ordinarily disposed of through open commercial auctions, the reported framework invokes exemptions under sports promotion policies to facilitate a direct settlement.

Authorities have reportedly justified the decision by citing Pathan’s contribution to Indian cricket. However, the timing has drawn attention, given the long-running dispute and the political developments surrounding the cricketer.

Pathan was elected to Parliament in 2024 on a Trinamool Congress ticket. Following the West Bengal Assembly elections, he was among 20 Trinamool MPs who broke with party chief Mamata Banerjee and merged with the little-known NCPI before joining the NDA ranks in Parliament. The political circumstances surrounding the reported land settlement have prompted questions about whether the change in alignment influenced the outcome; no such link has been established in the information provided.