Fact Check: Pawan Kalyan attends Iftar party after holy dip in Maha Kumbh? Here’s the truth
An image has been circulating with the claim that AP deputy CM Pawan Kalyan attended an Iftar party after Kumbh Snan.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 9 March 2025 1:33 PM IST
Claim: The image shows Pawan Kalyan feasting at an Iftar gathering after taking a holy dip at the 2025 Kumbh Mela.
Fact: The claim is misleading. The image is from 2019 and shows Kalyan having lunch at the residence of his party leader, Sheikh Zia Ur Rehman, during election campaigning in Guntur.
Hyderabad: Social media has been abuzz with an image of actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan in a skull cap reportedly attending an Iftar party. Kalyan, who currently serves as the deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh in the Chandrababu Naidu-led State government, is part of a coalition that includes the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), his own Jana Sena Party (JSP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Social media users sharing the image claim that after taking a holy dip at the 2025 Kumbh Mela, Kalyan is now attending an Iftar gathering.
An X user shared the image and wrote, “Power Star Pawan Kalyan actively participating in an Iftar party after returning from the Kumbh Snan!”
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The image is from 2019.
We conducted a reverse image search and found similar images in a report by Hans India published on March 25, 2019, titled ‘Pawan Kalyan eats biryani at Jana Sena MLA candidate’s house in Guntur.’
One of the images in the report, like the viral one, showed the same elderly woman reading a book while seated on a sofa, with Kalyan and others sitting on the floor, attentively listening to her. It also captured an array of delicacies spread out on the floor, also seen in the viral image.
According to the report, at the time, Kalyan was touring the State for the 2019 General Elections. During his visit to the Guntur District, he went to the residence of Jana Sena MLA candidate Sheikh Zia Ur Rehman, where a special lunch was arranged. Kalyan, along with Rehman’s family members and other leaders, sat on the floor and enjoyed the biryani.
We also found a video of Kalyan’s visit to Rehman’s residence published by Mango News on March 26, 2019. It was titled ‘Pawan Kalyan Eats Biryani At Janasena MLA Candidate House In Guntur | AP Elections 2019.’ The video featured the same visuals seen in the viral image.
