New Delhi/Patna: A fresh controversy has erupted around the Opposition’s “vote theft” claims, which were initially ignited by the circulation of a Brazilian woman’s photograph allegedly appearing multiple times in the Haryana voter list. Now, an image of an Indian woman with inked finger, reportedly from Pune, Maharashtra, has gone viral on social media, further fueling the political slugfest during the ongoing Bihar Assembly elections.
The photo, bearing the caption ‘Will vote in Bihar…’ or similar context, is being circulated by political commentators and citizens, suggesting a continuation of the kind of electoral anomalies alleged by the Congress party.
The Latest Viral Image
The current wave of controversy centers on an Indian woman’s picture, taken after she had cast her vote (identifiable by the indelible ink mark on her finger).
* The Allegation: The photo’s virality stems from unverified claims that it is being associated with duplicate voter entries, echoing the much-publicised case of the Brazilian woman. Social media users and some opposition affiliates have used the image to keep the conversation about alleged electoral manipulation alive as Bihar goes to the polls.
* The Context: The image is reportedly of a woman from Pune, Maharashtra. Its use in the context of the Bihar elections, suggesting the photo is being misused in a different state, has generated fresh scrutiny on the integrity of the electoral data across India.
The Brazilian Connection: The Original Spark
This new incident follows the massive row created when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi presented a dossier alleging widespread voter fraud in the recent Haryana Assembly elections.
* The Claim: Gandhi alleged that a single stock photograph of a Brazilian woman (identified as Larissa) was used repeatedly—reportedly 22 times across 10 booths—in the Haryana voter list under different names like ‘Seema’, ‘Sweety’, and ‘Saraswati’.
* The Brazilian’s Reaction: The woman, a Brazilian influencer and hairdresser named Larissa, reacted with shock in a viral video, confirming the photo was an old stock image and clarifying, “I have absolutely nothing to do with politics in India. It’s not me, I’ve never even been to India.”
* Ground Reality Check: Subsequent media investigations into the Haryana list found multiple anomalies, including cases where voters confirmed that their IDs had carried photo misprints (like the Brazilian woman’s image), but they denied any “vote theft,” stating they cast their votes using other verified IDs like Aadhaar. Disturbingly, one voter whose record carried the viral photo was found to be deceased since 2022, highlighting serious flaws in voter roll maintenance.
🗳️ Election Commission and Political Response
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “baseless.” They assert that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has, in fact, “purified” the voter list.
However, the Opposition is using these viral images to intensify its political campaign, particularly in Bihar, where a close contest is underway:
* Congress’s Stand: The Congress maintains that the ECI is engaged in “systemic manipulation” to remove the names of Dalit, Muslim, and women voters, particularly in close-contest Assembly seats in Bihar.
* BJP’s Rebuttal: The ruling party has dismissed the claims as “propaganda” and an excuse for the Opposition’s anticipated electoral defeat, defending the ECI’s revision exercise.
The recurrence of viral photos in this high-stakes election season has successfully pushed administrative data errors—and the accompanying allegations of manipulation—to the forefront of the public discourse, casting a shadow over the polling process.
Given the intense debate over electoral integrity, would you like to see a breakdown of the specific allegations made by the Congress regarding the deletion of women’s names from the Bihar voter list?
