Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took oath on Thursday, and received blessings from religious leaders of Christian, Muslim and Hindu communities, who chanted prayers and sang hymns on stage.

Jagan has reiterated multiple times that he is a devout Christian, and even said after the results were announced on May 23 that he reads the Bible every day. However, soon after the results were announced, a message that went viral said that Jagan converted to Hinduism, and claimed that Jagan approached Sharada Peetham pontiff Swami Swaroopanandendra Saraswathi, who agreed to perform the conversion.

This fake message did the rounds in April, but was circulated after Jagan's victory. Some of the messages accompanying the video and photos also claimed that Jagan converted on the directions of the BJP. The message includes two photos of Jagan meeting Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya, the former pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham and Chinna Jeeyar Swamy, another prominent spiritual guru.

However, the video and photos are from 2016, when Jagan performed a 'homam' in Rishikesh so that Andhra Pradesh can be granted Special Category Status. Jagan takes part in rituals related to Hinduism and Islam, but has reiterated that he remains a Christian.

Watch the video here: