Yusuf Pathan to get ‘gift’ from BJP-ruled Gujarat after TMC revolt?
Vadodara/IBNS: Former Indian cricketer and Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha MP Yusuf Pathan is reportedly set to receive a “gift” from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Gujarat government within months of rebelling against party chief Mamata Banerjee, NDTV reported.
Pathan, who was elected as a TMC MP from West Bengal's Baharampur in 2024, has been embroiled in a long-running legal dispute over a plot of land adjacent to his family home in Vadodara.
Gujarat government plans land settlement
The disputed plot, measuring around 1,000 square metres, is located in the Tandalja locality of Vadodara.
In 2012, the former all-rounder had sought the land on a 99-year lease, citing security concerns, but the proposal ran into legal hurdles.
According to NDTV, the Gujarat government has now worked out an administrative solution under which half of the plot would be allotted to Pathan, while he would have to pay for the remaining portion.
Pathan is expected to purchase half of the land for an estimated Rs 10 crore under the applicable institutional formula, the report said.
The civic body had initially sought the transfer of the entire plot.
However, higher state authorities subsequently rejected the proposal, citing the need to maintain transparency in matters involving public assets.
Land dispute reached Gujarat High Court
The BJP-run Vadodara Municipal Corporation had issued a notice to Pathan seeking the removal of an alleged encroachment shortly after his election to the Lok Sabha on a TMC ticket in 2024.
Pathan challenged the notice in the Gujarat High Court. In a subsequent development, the court reportedly came down heavily on him over his occupation of municipal land before the finalisation of the allotment or the completion of the required financial formalities.
Following the court's warnings, Pathan's legal representatives unconditionally withdrew the pending High Court appeals, paving the way for fresh administrative deliberations.
Pathan's political shift after TMC's electoral setback
Pathan, who last played for India in 2012, represented Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League from 2011 to 2017.
He was among the 20 TMC MPs who reportedly rebelled against the party following Mamata Banerjee's defeat by the BJP in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
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