New Delhi,A routine Congress press conference on alleged electoral fraud in Haryana has suddenly become a global social media sensation, thanks to the unexpected involvement of a Brazilian woman whose photograph, a stock image, allegedly appeared on dozens of voter IDs in the state.1
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, held a presser on Wednesday to unveil the “H-Files,” a dossier he claims proves large-scale “vote chori” (vote theft) in the recent Haryana Assembly elections.
The “Brazilian Model” Claim
During the conference, Mr. Gandhi presented a section of the Haryana voter list showing the exact same woman’s face repeated multiple times under different Indian names, including ‘Seema,’ ‘Sweety,’ and ‘Saraswati,’ across various polling booths in the Rai constituency.
Challenging reporters to guess the woman’s identity, Mr. Gandhi revealed that the image belonged to a Brazilian woman and was, in fact, a stock photograph misused on official electoral rolls.4 He claimed this was crystal-clear proof of a “centralised operation” to manipulate the voter database and alleged that nearly 25 lakh voters in the state were either fake or duplicated.
Internet Finds the Woman: Larissa Nery Reacts
The image immediately went viral, and the internet quickly identified the woman as Larissa Nery, a hairdresser and model from Belo Horizonte, Brazil.6 Within hours, a video of Nery reacting to the bizarre controversy began circulating widely on Indian social media platforms.
In the video, Nery expresses shock and amusement:
“Guys, I’m gonna tell you a joke — it’s too horrible! They’re using an old picture of me for elections in India, showing me as Indian. What a mess! I couldn’t believe it when a friend sent me the photo again.”
Nery clarified that the image was an old stock photo from a photoshoot years ago, and she was completely unaware of its use in Indian politics.10 She also confirmed that she has never visited India.1
The Bigger Controversy
While the revelation of a foreign stock image being used on Indian voter rolls has sparked a meme frenzy, the core political issue remains serious.
- Congress Allegations: The Congress party maintains that the use of a stock image, which is easily available online, on multiple voter IDs points to an organized, top-down conspiracy to inject fake or duplicate votes into the system. Mr. Gandhi asserted that this mechanism was instrumental in converting a predicted Congress landslide into a loss.
- Election Commission Response: The Election Commission of India has been questioned over the integrity of its data and the process of updating voter photographs. The Election Commission is yet to formally address the specific allegation of the Brazilian stock image.
- Local Voters Speak Out: Separately, media reports have tracked down some of the local voters whose names were attached to the viral photograph. Some women denied the allegations of fraud, claiming they had voted personally, and attributing the photo on their ID cards to a “printing error” or a long-standing photo misprint from a data entry operator.
The political clash over the integrity of the voting process, backed by the unexpected testimony of a bewildered Brazilian woman, has ensured the debate over the “H-Files” remains at the forefront of the national political discourse.
Watch the Brazilian Woman’s Response to the Controversy here: Brazilian Model Responds To Her Viral Picture During Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chori’ Press Conference
This video provides the reaction of the Brazilian woman whose photograph was at the center of Rahul Gandhi’s press conference regarding the alleged voter fraud.
