Karnataka polls: This video does not show DK Shivakumar drunk during campaigning

Hyderabad: A video showing Karnataka Congress state president D.K. Shivakumar walking unsteadily is going viral on social media. Those sharing the video claim that it shows Mr. Shivakumar in a drunken state during the door-to-door campaign ahead of the Karnataka elections.

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Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the viral video dates back to January 2022 at least and shows D.K. Shivakumar at the Congress Mekedatu Padayatra in Karnataka.

We noticed the “newsfirstkannada” in the ticker in the viral video. Taking this as a cue, we ran a keyword search and found the viral video published by the verified YouTube channel of NewsFirst Kannada on 9 January 2022. The caption states that the video shows a tired Shivakumar during Mekedatu Padayatra.

We also found the video tweeted by a user on 9 January 2022.

An Outlook report from 10 January 2022 said the Congress party, defying Covid-19 restrictions, launched Mekedatu padayatra demanding implementation of the Mekedatu reservoir project across the Cauvery river. It also said FIRs were filed against senior party leaders, including Siddaramiah and D.K. Shivakumar, for taking out the yatra.

NewsMeter could not verify whether Mr. Shivakumar was in an inebriated state. However, we could verify that the video can be traced back to at least January 2022. Hence, we conclude that the viral video is being falsely linked to the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls.