GUJARAT’S LAND CONCESSION TO YUSUF PATHAN RAISES QUESTIONS AFTER HIS POLITICAL REALIGNMENT
October 20, 2026
VADODARA, OCTOBER 20: The Gujarat government has approved a proposal to allot a disputed 978-square-metre plot in Vadodara to former India cricketer and Lok Sabha MP Yusuf Pathan, months after he left the Trinamool Congress and joined a group of MPs aligning with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The land, owned by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), is situated next to Pathan’s family home in the Tandalja locality. Under the proposal, 500 square metres will be gifted to him, while the remaining 478 square metres will be offered at a 45 per cent concession on the valuation fixed by the Vadodara Urban Development Authority’s valuation committee.
The allotment is not yet final. The proposal submitted by the municipal commissioner is scheduled to be placed before the BJP-controlled civic body's standing committee on October 23. Necessary orders have been issued to the municipal corporation, but further approval is required before Pathan can formally take possession of the land.
The dispute dates back to 2012, when Pathan sought a 99-year lease of the plot without a public auction, citing security concerns arising from his status as an international cricketer. Although the municipal corporation initially considered the request, the Gujarat government rejected the proposal in 2014, citing the need for transparent public bidding.
The matter resurfaced in June 2024, after Pathan entered politics and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Baharampur in West Bengal as a Trinamool Congress candidate. The municipal corporation subsequently issued him a notice alleging encroachment on the disputed land. Pathan challenged the notice before the Gujarat High Court.
In June 2026, the High Court questioned how the land could have been occupied and fenced without formal allotment or payment. The court had earlier upheld the state government's rejection of Pathan's request. His subsequent appeal was withdrawn in August after his lawyer informed the court that he was pursuing the matter under the state government's policy.
The latest proposal seeks to resolve the long-running dispute through a fresh allotment under a 2024 resolution issued by the state's Urban Development and Urban Housing Department. The proposed transfer remains subject to specified terms and conditions.
The timing has drawn political attention because Pathan was among 20 Trinamool Congress MPs who broke away from the party and merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), aligning with the NDA in Parliament. The land proposal has emerged only months after that political realignment.
The development places the administration's handling of public land under renewed scrutiny, particularly because the original request had been rejected on grounds of transparent bidding and the dispute had involved allegations of unauthorised occupation. The proposal now offers a route to settlement through a combination of a free allotment and a substantial price concession.
The final decision rests with the relevant civic authorities. Until the remaining approvals are secured, the proposed transfer cannot be treated as a completed allotment, and the circumstances surrounding the change in the government's position remain a matter of public and political interest.
