DK Shivakumar Sidelined At Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’? Clipped Video Shared With False Claim

Several pro-BJP accounts are sharing a 30-second video, purportedly from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing “voter adhikar yatra” in Bihar, claiming that it shows Karnataka’s deputy CM DK Shivakumar being sidelined and “forced to walk like an ordinary worker”.

“Congress culture on full display, DK Shivakumar reduced to hanging outside a jeep like a security guard, while the ‘VIP seats’ inside remain reserved for the chosen few,” reads the post by Andhra Pradesh BJP unit’s vice-president S Vishnuvardhan Reddy, while another  states that the video shows “how the dynasty treats even its senior leaders.”

The archived version of the post can be seen here, which has clocked 311.9K views so far.

Fact Check

Newschecker ran a search for “DK Shivakumar voter adhikar yatra,” which led us to this New Indian Express report, dated August 25, 2025, on the Karnataka Congress president who recently joined the rally to raise awareness about voter rights.  

We can clearly see Shivakumar standing with Gandhi on the jeep in the photograph shared by the news report, indicating that the viral image was being shared out of context.

“The yatra in Bihar is a big game changer in the country. The issue (vote theft) Rahul Gandhi has raised from Karnataka to Bihar has become the talk of the country. He is not fighting for himself… he is fighting for justice for a common man as guaranteed by the Constitution,” Shivakumar, who is also Karnataka Congress president, reportedly told reporters at Araria in Bihar.

Taking a cue, we looked up the video of the rally in Araria, streamed live on Rahul Gandhi’s official Youtube channel on August 24, 2025, where we can see at the 15:54 mark that Shivakumar was just making his way to the jeep, before the viral excerpt began.

At the 21:52 mark, we can clearly see Bihar MP Pappu Yadav helping Shivakumar to climb onto the jeep, contradicting the viral claim. The other leaders on the jeep are RJD’s Tejaswi Yadav, CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, former minister Mukesh Sahani, Pappu Yadav and Rahul Gandhi.

 
Screengrabs of the video showing Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar on the jeep during the “voter adhikari yatra” in Araria, Bihar.

Shivakumar, too, took to X to debunk the viral claims on August 24, 2025, sharing images and clarifying that the viral clip was taken before he joined Rahul Gandhi on the jeep that led the rally to the Circuit House in Patna. News reports on Shivakumar’s X post, accusing BJP-linked handles of running a “smear campaign“, can be seen here and here.

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Conclusion

Clipped video from Rahul Gandhi’s rally for voter rights in Bihar shared with false claim that Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar was made to stand outside the jeep carrying top political leaders.

Sources
The New Indian Express report, August 25, 2025
Youtube video, Rahul Gandhi, August 24, 2025
X post, DK Shivakumar, August 24, 2025