Former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan, a Gujarat native, has landed in a political controversy after the state government proposed allotting him a portion of a disputed land parcel in Vadodara.
According to the report, Pathan had earlier sought to purchase 10,527 sq ft of land owned by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation near his residence. While the civic body initially agreed, the Gujarat government denied approval in 2014.
Later, Pathan joined West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and won the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Baharampur constituency. During this period, the municipal corporation issued him a notice alleging encroachment on the civic land, following which he moved the Gujarat High Court.
The report says that after political changes in West Bengal—where the BJP formed a government for the first time—several Trinamool MPs quit the party and joined the Indian Nationalist Citizens Party, including Pathan. After this shift, he withdrew his case against the municipal corporation.
Now, the Gujarat government has proposed gifting 5,382 sq ft from the disputed plot to Pathan, while the remaining 5,145 sq ft is set to be sold to him with a 45% fee concession. The timing of the decision, coming after his exit from Trinamool, has sparked criticism and debate.
