Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claim of “vote chori” (vote theft) in Haryana on Wednesday took an unexpected international twist — all the way to Brazil.
During a press conference titled ‘H Files’, the Leader of Opposition displayed a photo of a woman he said had appeared 22 times in Haryana’s voter rolls, under different names including Seema, Sweety, and Saraswati.
“Who is this lady? What is her name? Where does she come from? But she votes 22 times in Haryana, at 10 different booths,” Gandhi said, alleging a centralised operation of electoral fraud that he claimed cost Congress victory in the 2024 Haryana Assembly election.
Soon after the presser, internet users identified the photo as belonging to a Brazilian model — sparking a social media storm and thousands of searches about her identity.
The ‘Brazilian Model’ Identified as Larissa Nery
Independent searches traced the photo back to Larissa Nery, a Brazilian woman whose portraits were taken by photographer Matheus Ferrero and made available on the free photo platform Unsplash.
Larissa later posted a video reaction on social media, confirming that the image was indeed hers. In the video, she appeared amused yet shocked at finding her photo linked to an alleged voter-list scam in India.
“Folks, let me tell you the gossip! They are using an old photo of mine. I was about 20 years old in that picture,” she said in Portuguese, laughing in disbelief.
“They are using my photo for something related to elections in India, portraying me as an Indian woman. What madness is this?”
Her light-hearted tone quickly turned to surprise when she revealed that reporters had begun calling her after Rahul Gandhi’s claim went viral.
“Oh my God, how crazy! What world are we living in?” she said, adding that a journalist even contacted the salon where she works.
“He called the salon asking for an interview and even messaged me on Instagram.”
How the Viral Photo Was Discovered
A reverse image search confirmed that the portrait in question was indeed part of Ferrero’s professional collection, widely used online for fashion and editorial purposes.
Screenshots of Larissa’s video and her Instagram stories — where she shared news headlines and memes about the controversy — have since gone viral on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
Rahul Gandhi’s Allegation of Voter List Manipulation
At his Thursday press briefing, Gandhi alleged that the repeated use of the same image in the voter list was part of a “centralised plan” to manipulate results in Haryana’s Rai Assembly constituency.
The Congress leader claimed the incident exemplified a larger pattern of electoral irregularities across multiple states, and demanded a high-level investigation.
Social Media Reactions and Global Buzz
Within hours, “Brazilian model” began trending on social platforms, with memes, jokes, and fact-checks circulating widely.
While many users expressed disbelief at how a Brazilian woman’s photo could appear in Indian voter rolls, others criticized the state’s election process for lacking verification mechanisms.
Larissa’s humorous yet genuine reaction only added to the virality. Her phrase, “What madness is this?”, quickly became a meme caption shared thousands of times in India and Brazil alike.
As Rahul Gandhi’s “H Files” press conference continues to draw attention, the episode underscores how digital images can be misused across borders — and how quickly misinformation can spread online.
Meanwhile, Larissa Nery, once an unknown face from a photographer’s portfolio, has unexpectedly found herself at the center of India’s political debate — all because of one viral image.
