Old Video of DK Shivakumar Walking Unsteadily Linked to Karnataka Elections

The video could be traced back to at least January 2022 and is unrelated to Karnataka assembly elections.

Fact-Check | The video is old and is being falsely shared with users linking it to the upcoming Karnataka Elections. 

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A video which shows Congress leader and former Energy Minister of Karnataka DK Shivakumar walking unsteadily is being widely shared on social media platforms.

What is the claim?: Those sharing the video have claimed that Shivakumar was fully drunk during his door to door campaign ahead of the Karnataka elections, which is set to take place on 10 May.

An archive of the post can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(More archives to similar claims can be found here and here.)

What is the truth?: The video could be traced back to at least January 2022 and reportedly shows Shivakumar walking in Congress' Mekedatu padayatra in Karnataka.

How did we find out?: At first, we noticed the band at bottom which said "newsfirstkannada" with different social media icons.

"Newsfirstkannada" could be seen written at the bottom of the video.

(Source: Viral video/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

• Taking this forward, we performed a keyword search and came across the original video posted on the official YouTube channel of News First Kannada.

• The video was uploaded on 9 January 2022.

• The title of the video when translated, said, "DK Shivakumar: DK Shivakumar who was tired Mekedatu Padayatre | NewsFirst Kannada."

News reports: An Outlook India report said that Congress's Mekedatu padaytra had entered its second day, which demands the implementation of the Mekedatu reservoir project across the Cauvery river.

• It mentioned that several leaders had been booked for violating COVID-19 rules by carrying out the march.

• Top party leaders including former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah and Shivakumar were also booked.

The report was published on 10 January 2022.

(Source: Outlook India/Screenshot)

• A report in India Today published on 13 January 2022 added that after Congress leader agreed to drop the march, it was postponed.

• Siddaramiah said that the party was concerned about people's health in Karnataka and hence the march would resume once the third wave is over.

Accusations in 2021: According to a report, Congress media coordinator MA Salim and Former Lok Sabha member VS Ugrappa in a conversation accused Shivakumar of accepting bribes which was caught in camera.

• Towards the end of their conversation, Salim also said how Shivakumar stammers when he speaks. He further says that media persons ask him if Shivakumar is drunk but proceeds to say that it's just the latter's talking style.

Conclusion: While we could not independently verify if Shivakumar was in an inebriated state in the video, it is clear that it is old and is being shared with users, falsely linking it to the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.

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