Karnataka Congress president D.K. Shivakumar has been accused of showering cash during a roadshow in Mandya, sparking a row on a day the Election Commission announced the Assembly polls.

A video clip circulating on social media shows Shivakumar standing atop a bus during the party’s Praja Dewani Yatra near Bevinahalli and throwing what appears to be a bundle of cash to the people below.

While the denomination of the purported currency notes is not clear from the video clip, social media users claimed they were Rs 500 notes.

This coincided with chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar announcing at a media conference in Delhi that the Karnataka polls would be held on May 10.

He said money power was a worry in the state and that large quantities of gifts had already been seized fromall political parties in Karnataka.

Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai lashed out at Shivakumar. “He does everything. He blatantly misuses all kinds of powers and then blames us. That’s why the people are going to reject him,” the BJP leader told reporters.

“By throwing notes (he thinks) the people are beggars. The Congress (also) thinks the people are beggars. (But) the people will teach them (a lesson),” added Bommai, who is heading to the elections burdened with a strong anti-incumbency factor.

Shivakumar is believed to be one of the two candidates for the chief minister’s chair if the Congress wins. While former chief minister P.C. Siddaramaiah, who is contesting for the final time, has for long been the face of the party in the state, Shivakumar is apparently eyeing the top post leveraging on his clout as an influential leader of the Vokkaliga community.

He has been trying to strengthen the party’s position in the Old Mysore area comprising eight districts including Mandya, Mysore, Chamrajnagara, Kodagu and Hassan. A good performance here could help the Congress win a clear majority and boost Shivakumar’s bid for the top post.

Siddaramaiah said the BJP has been using money to poach lawmakers from rival parties. “It is the BJP that corrupted the election scene with money. Who ran Operation Kamala? The name Operation Kamala itself owes to the BJP,” he said, alluding to the BJP drive to engineer defections.

Siddaramaiah walked away before reporters could ask him about Shivakumar allegedly showering cash.