Full Breakdown
Yusuf Pathan’s Vadodara Plot Allotment: A Decade-Long Dispute Ends Amid Political Realignment
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Final Approval of the Plot Allotment
On October 23, the Standing Committee of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) unanimously approved the allotment of a 978-square-metre municipal plot to former cricketer and Lok Sabha MP Yusuf Pathan. 500 sq m will be gifted and the remaining 478 sq m allotted at 55 % of the valuation set by the Vadodara Urban Development Authority (VUDA). The plot’s market value is about INR20.5 crore (INR2.10 lakh per sq m).
Background and Context
Pathan applied on March 3, 2012 for a 99-year lease of the same plot. The Gujarat government rejected the request in June 2014 because the land had not been offered through a public auction. After his election from West Bengal’s Baharampur in 2024, the VMC served an encroachment notice in June 2024. A Gujarat High Court judge dismissed his challenge in August 2025, noting no final allotment order existed. He withdrew his appeal on August 31, 2026 after the state government issued a resolution on August 13 and forwarded it to the VMC on August 29.
Politically, Pathan and 19 other TMC MPs left the party on June 14, 2026, joining the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and aligning with the NDA. The resolution, issued under the 2024 Urban Development and Urban Housing Department policy for sportspersons, authorized the present allotment.
Data and Statistics
- Total plot area: 978 sq m.
- Gifted portion: 500 sq m (? INR10.3 crore).
- Concessional portion: 478 sq m at 55 % of assessed price.
- Assessed valuation: INR2.10 lakh per sq m, market estimate INR20.5 crore.
Official Statements and Responses
The state resolution, dated August 13, invoked the 2024 policy for allocating land to international sportspersons, authorizing the 55 % concession and the gift of half the plot. Earlier, the VMC General Board had paused a public auction pending resolution of the encroachment dispute.
Criticism and Opposition
Congress city president Rutvij Joshi said the VMC was effectively gifting land worth roughly INR15 crore, questioning legality and fiscal impact. He called for recovery of occupation charges accrued over 14 years.
Congress councillor Chandrakant Shrivastav challenged the compensation mechanism that would give the VMC land of equivalent value and noted that other former international cricketers—Kiran More, Nayan Mongia, Atul Bedade, Anshuman Gaekwad, and current star Hardik Pandya—have not received comparable benefits.
The Vishwamitri Bachao Samiti argued the proposal treats Pathan differently from other sportspersons and could set an unequal precedent, noting that Vadodara is home to four Arjuna Awardees who have not been offered similar gifts.
Conflicting Reports and Gaps
Sources differ on the description of the concession: some refer to a 55 % concession of the assessed value, others to a 45 % discount. Both convey the same effective price but use opposite phrasing. No detailed information is available on the specific parcel of land that will be allotted to the VMC as compensation for the gifted portion.
What’s Next
The approved proposal will be presented to the VMC’s General Board next month for final endorsement. Upon board approval, the revenue department is expected to allocate land of equivalent value to the VMC, completing the transaction outlined in the state resolution.