Vadodara Municipal Corporation approves land allotment to Yusuf Pathan

The standing committee of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has approved a proposal to allot a 978-square-metre residential plot in the Tandalja locality to former cricketer and Trinamool Congress MP Yusuf Pathan. Under the approved arrangement, 500 square metres of the plot will be gifted to Pathan, while the remaining 478 square metres will be offered at a 45 per cent concession, priced at 55 per cent of the assessed rate.

The property has an estimated market value of approximately Rs 20.53 crore. Following the state government's prior clearance, the Revenue Department is expected to allot municipal land of equivalent value to compensate the corporation for the gifted portion. The proposal is scheduled to be presented to the VMC general board next month for final consideration.

The decision has triggered protests from Congress leaders, who staged a sit-in outside the committee meeting hall. Opponents have accused the administration of providing preferential treatment and handing over public land to Pathan. The land has been the subject of a long-standing dispute; a Gujarat High Court bench had previously declared Pathan an encroacher on the plot, a ruling he challenged before withdrawing his petition.

Pathan, a former international cricketer and 2007 T20 World Cup winner, was elected as an MP from Baharampur in 2024.