Vadodara land allotment dispute involving Yusuf Pathan

The Gujarat government approved a proposal to resolve a decade-long dispute regarding a 978-square-metre residential plot in Vadodara’s Tandalaja area. The proposal, intended for former cricketer and Member of Parliament Yusuf Pathan, suggests gifting 500 square metres of the land to Pathan and selling the remaining 478 square metres at a 45 per cent concession relative to rates fixed by the Vadodara Urban Development Authority.

Following the state government’s clearance, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) standing committee approved the allotment. Under the arrangement, the Revenue Department is expected to provide the VMC with alternative land of equivalent value to compensate for the gifted portion. The property has an estimated market value of approximately Rs 20.53 crore.

The decision has faced opposition from Congress leaders, who staged protests alleging preferential treatment and the improper handover of public land. The plot has a history of legal conflict; a Gujarat High Court bench had previously labeled Pathan an encroacher, though he later withdrew his challenge to that ruling.