A video of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravindra Chavan bowing at the feet of a Sindhi spiritual leader has gone viral with a false claim that he sought blessings from an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader.
BOOM identified the person as Sindhi preacher Neeraj G Jagiasi, popularly known as Sai Choturam, a preacher of the Sindhi community. Speaking to BOOM, Jagiasi confirmed his presence in the video and clarified that he is not affiliated with any political party.
The viral claims come after a sudden friendship between BJP and AIMIM in Akola district days before the Maharashtra municipal elections. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered the alliance to be diluted, even issuing a show cause notice against local MP Prakash Bharsakale.
The claim
In the viral video, Chavan, president of the BJP Maharashtra wing, can be seen bowing before a man dressed in a black Pathani suit with a jacket. A user shared the video on
Click here to view the post and here to view an archive.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray recently made a similar misleading claim in an interview, alleging that the Maharashtra BJP president was seen touching the feet of an AIMIM leader. The interview can be seen at 5:46 p.m.
What we found: BJP leader bows to Sindhi preacher, not AIMIM leader
1. The video shows the Sindhi preacher:
We analyzed the video and found that it showed a political event in Ulhasnagar in Thane district. Using this as a clue, we did a search for related keywords and found an article from The Times of India covering a public rally attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on January 7, 2026, in Ulhasnagar during the campaign for the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation elections, along with a photograph of the event.
Following suit, we discovered that the same event was live-streamed on January 7, 2025 from CM Fadnavis’ verified account, and it matches the background seen in the viral images. We then performed an additional keyword search and found a post by Instagram handle @love_you_sai_chhoturam dated January 8, 2026.
The publication shared the same viral video with the caption: “Chhote Nawab Sai Chhoturam Saheb with Honorable CM Devendra ji Fadnavis and Shri Ravindra Chavan ji of Maharashtra.”
2. Clarification by Sai Choturam: For further verification, BOOM shared the viral video and claim with Neeraj G Jagiasi aka Sai Choturam via WhatsApp. Jagiasi said he has no links with any political party and identified himself as a Sindhi religious preacher.
Jagiasi told BOOM: “I come from a Hindu family of saints called Sai Vasan Shah. I promote our religion and our Sindhi community throughout India without being part of any political party.”
