Gujarat's gift for Yusuf Pathan: Ex-Cricketer to get long awaited Vadodra plot months after TMC exit
PTC News Desk: The BJP-led Gujarat government has approved the allotment of a disputed 978-square-metre plot of government land in Vadodara to Yusuf Pathan, former cricketer and Lok Sabha MP. The land is located next to his house. The state government has issued the necessary orders to the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, but the final approval is still pending before Pathan can take possession of the land.
The development comes months after Pathan and 19 other MPs reportedly broke away from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by Mamata Banerjee, and joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a registered but unrecognised political party.
The process of allotting the plot to Pathan has been pending for 14 years. The land, located in the Tandalja area of Vadodara, has been valued at around Rs 20.53 crore, or Rs 2.10 lakh per square metre.
After fixing the minimum price for the land, the proposal will be placed before the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee. Municipal Commissioner Arun Babu said the civic body had received approval from the state government and would now seek the committee’s clearance. The allotment process will move forward once the committee approves it.
In 2012, Pathan wrote to the municipal corporation requesting the allotment of the 978-square-metre plot next to his bungalow. The proposal was discussed at meetings held on March 30 and June 8 that year. The civic body later began the process of giving him the land on a 99-year lease without holding a public auction.
However, the state government rejected the proposal in 2014, saying the land could not be allotted without a public auction.
In 2024, the municipal corporation ordered officials to take immediate steps to remove what it described as an encroachment on the land. Pathan challenged the decision in the Gujarat High Court. On August 21, 2025, the High Court dismissed his petition. Pathan later appealed against the order before a division bench.
During a hearing on June 8, 2026, the High Court questioned how the government land had been occupied without a legal allotment or payment. It also raised concerns about the role of municipal officials in the matter. Pathan’s lawyer requested more time to present arguments, referring to the state government’s policy on allotting land to international cricketers.
A major development took place on August 31, 2026, when Pathan withdrew his appeal from the High Court.
- PTC NEWS
