MUMBAI, Aug. 16 -- In a notice issued on August 14, the state government included 29 villages of Palghar district in the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC). The districts, which were a part of the VVCMC until 2011, had dropped out after political parties in the region refused to be a part of the corporation. The VVCMC was formed in 2009 by merging the four municipal councils of Vasai, Nalla Sopara, Naigaon and Virar. Vasai MLA Sneha Dube Pandit from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that 52 villages were a part of it when it was formed. Addressing why the 29 villages had been added back to the corporation Pandit said, "Now that the Vadhavan port is coming and the coastal road is being extended to Palghar, we all want a share of the benefits." The VVCMC area was once controlled by the Hitendra Thakur led Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) and the MLAs of Vasai, Nallsopara and Virar belonged to the BVA. In 2024, the BVA lost all its seats to the BJP, and are now hoping to regain power and capture the VVCMC again. The villages added back to the VVCMC by the government are Agashi, Kofarad, Bapane, Sasunavghar, Bhuigaon K, Bhuigaon B, Gas, Girij, Kaulas (b), Kaulas (k), Navale, Nirmal, Vagholi, Dahisar, Nale, Rajodi, Vatar, Chandip, Kashid Kopar, Kasarali, Koshimbe, Chichoti, Devdal, Kaman, Kaner, Kolhi, Mandvi, Shirsad and Saloli....