Goa, July 3 -- A fresh political row has broken out in Goa after former minister Mickky Pacheco challenged Vikas Prabhudesai to provide evidence supporting allegations that he received financial backing from the BJP to float the Goa Vikas Party during the 2012 Assembly elections.

Pacheco strongly denied the allegation, which claimed that the party was formed with BJP funding to weaken the Congress vote base in the state. Calling the accusation baseless, he demanded that Prabhudesai produce credible proof to substantiate the claim.

The exchange has reignited political debate over the events surrounding the 2012 Goa Assembly elections, with both leaders trading accusations over the motives behind the formation of the Goa Vikas Party.

The...