Indian actor Allu Arjun’s 2022 video from New York event shared as him campaigning for Congress

What's the claim?

A video showing Indian actor Allu Arjun in a white suit sporting a tricolor sash and waving to fans is circulating on social media with the claim that he is endorsing the Congress party for the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The video features overlaid text that reads, "Jay congress vijay congress." Actor Kamaal R. Khan (KRK) was one of the many who shared the video with the caption, "Allu Arjun the biggest super star of India is campaigning for congress party (sic)." Archived versions of such posts can be found here, here, and here.

The clip has also gained traction on Facebook, where it has been shared with the same narrative by members of the Indian Youth Congress, the youth wing of the Congress party, which is currently in opposition. Archived versions of such posts can be viewed here and here.

Screenshot of claims made online. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this viral video is unrelated to the ongoing general elections in India.

What did we find?

Logically Facts conducted a reverse image search using keyframes from the viral video and discovered a YouTube video uploaded by Allu Arjun's official channel on August 23, 2022. The video was titled "Icon Star Allu Arjun as Grand Marshal @ 40th India Day Parade in New York." It shows Arjun, who mostly works in Telugu films, dressed in the same white suit and sporting the same tricolor sash with "Grand Marshal" written on it, similar to the visuals from the viral video. His wife, Sneha Reddy, who donned a yellow attire, is next to the actor as the vehicle they are standing on passes through a huge crowd.

We also found many news reports from August 2022 featuring similar images of Allu Arjun at the parade.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the actor was invited to be the Grand Marshal at the 40th India Day Parade held in New York in August 2022. His wife, Sneha Reddy, joined the actor at the parade. (The India Day Parade is an annual event celebrating India's independence and culture, and it typically features prominent figures from various fields as Grand Marshals, a parade dignitary or public leader who leads the parade.)

Comparison showing the viral video and the 2022 India Day Parade. (Source: YouTube/X)

All of this establishes that the viral video was shot at the 2022 India Day parade and is unrelated to any political campaigning by the popular actor.

It is to be noted that Allu Arjun's father-in-law, Kancharla Chandrasekhar Reddy, had joined the Congress party in February, along with several other leaders from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party. However, there is no confirmation that Allu Arjun has exclusively endorsed any political party, and there are no news reports of him campaigning for any outfit at a public event so far.

The verdict

The viral video is from 2022, when Telugu actor Allu Arjun participated in the India Day parade, commemorating 75 years of the country's independence. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.