Was DK Shivakumar forced to walk during Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Adikhari Yatra in Bihar? Fact Check

Claim: Karnataka’s Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar was forced to walk during Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Adikhari’s rally in Bihar.

Conclusion : The claim is misleading. D.K. Shivakumar joined Rahul Gandhi on the vehicle and the viral clip was selectively taken before he got on the vehicle.

Rating : Misleading.

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Recently, several users took to X claiming that Karnataka’s Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar was forced to walk during Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Adikhari’s rally. The users claimed that he did not get a place on the vehicle and was sidelined by other leaders.

Verified X user  shared a 30 second clip from the rally, alleging that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was “forced to walk like an ordinary worker” during Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar. This post gained around 340,000 views and more than 4,000 likes. View the post below – 

Karnataka’s Dy CM @DKShivakumar is being forced to walk like an ordinary worker, no place for him on the vehicle. Even Mukesh Sahni is given more importance than him just because DKS holds no value for Rahul Gandhi in Bihar.

What happened to Kannada Pride?
Imagine the outrage if… pic.twitter.com/R6nFMJKmYx

— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) August 24, 2025

Another X user shared the same clip claiming “No place in the jeep for DK Shivakumar, he was made to stand outside.” View the post here. 

No place in the jeep for DK Shivakumar, he was made to stand outside. pic.twitter.com/JCQ9igq0X5

— BALA (@erbmjha) August 24, 2025

FACT CHECK

DigitEYE India decided to investigate this fact and discovered that it is misleading. The viral video is a selectively clipped segment that misrepresents the sequence of events. In the full context, Shivakumar was not sidelined but joined the jeep later in the procession.

Context of the event is about the Voter Adhikar Yatra, a Congress-led campaign launched in Bihar to address alleged “vote chori” (vote theft) issues, focusing on electoral integrity. Rahul Gandhi led the yatra, joined by allies like Tejashwi Yadav, Pappu Yadav, Dipankar Bhattacharya, and Shivakumar, who participated to show inter-state solidarity.

We came across Karnataka’s Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar X handle where he has posted an official clarification. On August 24, 2025, Shivakumar posted on X, stating the shared image/video was captured before he boarded the jeep with Rahul Gandhi en route to the Circuit House.

He accused the “right-wing ecosystem” of obsessing over “photo angles and seating arrangements” instead of focussing on substantive issues like vote theft.

View his post here.

The right-wing ecosystem is once again hard at work, circulating misleading images and falsely claiming that I was made to stand outside the jeep during the Voter Adhikar Yatra.

Let’s set the record straight – with facts:
1.First, thank you for your undivided attention to the… pic.twitter.com/vsV3PbYG64

— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) August 24, 2025

Attached photos in D.K. Shivakumar’s post clearly show Rahul Gandhi holding a Constitution copy on the jeep, surrounded by leaders, including Shivakumar in close proximity.  View one such picture below:

Moreover, the longer clip taken from a live stream on Rahul Gandhi’s official channel shows Bihar MP Pappu Yavad helping Shivakumar to get on. It begins from 21:50 and by 21:55  Shivakumar has climbed up on the jeep. 

View a screenshot of the livestream: 

Moreover, an official PTI report has also reported Shivakumar dismissing the claims as “false and misleading,” published on August 24. No credible news source supports the sidelining narrative which is shared in the claim.

On the other hand many credible news outlets like The New Indian Express highlight D.K. Shivakumar’s role in the rally with an image of him on the jeep.

View a snippet from the report below :

Thus, the claim is misleading.