The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has proposed allotting a disputed 978-square-metre plot next to former cricketer and MP Yusuf Pathan’s family home, with 500 square metres to be “gifted” to him and the remaining land offered at a 45 per cent discount.
If cleared, it could pave the way for resolving a land dispute that has persisted for more than a decade. The proposal, submitted by the municipal commissioner, will be considered by the standing committee of the BJP-ruled civic body on October 23 for final approval. Under the proposal, the remaining 478 square metres would be allotted at 55 per cent of the rate determined by the Vadodara Urban Development Authority (VUDA) Valuation Committee.
By then, Pathan had been elected to the Lok Sabha from Baharampur in West Bengal on a Trinamool Congress (TMC) ticket. He also maintained that the land belonged to the municipal corporation, rather than the state government. The High Court upheld the state government’s rejection of his original allotment request. Pathan subsequently challenged the order before a Division Bench but withdrew his appeal in August after his lawyer informed the court that he was pursuing the matter under the state government’s policy. The proposal comes after Pathan’s departure from the Trinamool Congress in June this year. He added that the details of the allotment are yet to be finalised.
The allotment would be subject to specific terms and conditions laid down in a 2024 resolution of the state government’s Urban Development and Urban Housing Department. Pathan has been seeking to purchase the land in Vadodara’s Tandalja locality since 2012. The VMC initially agreed to his request, but the state government rejected the proposed sale in 2014. Earlier reporting noted: Gujarat govt approves allotment of disputed Vadodara plot to Yusuf Pathan The Gujarat government has approved the allotment of a disputed 978-square-metre plot in Vadodara to former cricketer and Lok Sabha MP Yusuf Pathan under its policy for international sportspersons, according to Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials. Earlier reporting noted: Yusuf Pathan won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from West Bengal’s Behrampore on a Trinamool Congress (TMC) ticket. He was among the 20 TMC MPs who rebelled against Trinamool Congress founder Mamata Banerjee and went to Lok Sabha speaker in June this year to claim that they had merged with the and declared that they had merged with a little known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
Earlier reporting noted: A senior VMC official said the civic body had received the state government’s approval and the proposal would be placed before the standing committee and the general board for their approval.
