Yusuf Pathan's "gift" from Rs 200 million property gets approved despite Congress protests

Dubai: Former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan has moved a step closer to receiving a disputed residential plot worth millions of rupees in Vadodara after the city’s municipal standing committee approved the proposal to allot the land to him.

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) approved the proposal on Friday, formalising a decision by the Gujarat government that had previously been reported but still required the civic body’s approval.

The 978-square-metre plot is located in the Tandalja area, adjacent to Pathan’s residential bungalow. Under the proposal, 500 square metres will be gifted to the former cricketer, while he will pay 55 per cent of the valuation for the remaining area. The government will compensate the corporation for the gifted portion.

The decision sparked protests from Congress workers, who staged a sit-in outside the standing committee meeting hall and accused the BJP-led civic administration of handing over public land to Pathan. The proposal will now be placed before the VMC’s general body for approval.

Vadodara Congress chief Rutvij Joshi questioned the decision, alleging that land worth Rs 20 crore (Dh 734.5 million) [some reports even value it at 15 crore (Dh 550.8 million)] was being given to Pathan for free. He also pointed to the earlier controversy surrounding the property.

The dispute dates to 2024, when a Gujarat High Court single-judge bench declared Pathan an encroacher on the plot and ordered him to vacate it. Pathan challenged the ruling but withdrew his petition in August 2026 after the division bench questioned the encroachment.

The proposal comes months after Pathan broke away from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and joined a group of 20 MPs who aligned with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), moving towards the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Pathan, who represented India in international cricket and won the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup, was elected from Baharampur in West Bengal in 2024.

The latest approval marks a significant development in the long-running land dispute, although the general body’s decision is still pending.