Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chori’ Claim in Haryana Takes a Brazilian Twist!
The recent vote chori utterance by Rahul Gandhi in Haryana has raised eyebrows around the world – and has even spawned Brazil! The Congress leader presented a photo of a woman at his press conference at his H Files saying she had appeared 22 times in the Haryana voter lists under various names such as Seema, Sweety, and Saraswati.
However, the twist in this is that the woman was a model of Brazil, and not an Indian voter! Her picture, which supposedly was a stock photo site, was the face behind the accusations made by Gandhi. What say you – a case of voter fraud shock or a viral photo with nothing to be proud of?
The Brazilian Model’s Shocked Reaction
Hours later, a woman claiming to be the one in the viral picture came forward in a video posted online. Identified through reverse image search as Larissa Nery, she confirmed that the photo was hers from when she was about 20 years old.
In Portuguese, Larissa expressed shock and amusement:
“They are using an old photo of mine… I was very young, about 18 or 20. They’re using it for some election thing in India, pretending I’m an Indian woman!”
‘What Madness Is This?’, Larissa Speaks Out
Larissa shared that she had been flooded with messages and that reporters even called her salon in Brazil.
“Oh my god, how crazy. What madness is this, what world are we living in,” she said.
She added that journalists had contacted her for interviews after the image went viral, and even her friends from other cities sent her the photo.
Larissa Clarifies: ‘I’ve Never Been to India’
In a follow-up video, Larissa clarified she had nothing to do with Indian politics and that her picture had been purchased from a stock image platform without her knowledge.
“I have absolutely nothing to do with politics in India. My photo was purchased from a stock image platform and used without my involvement. It’s not me , I’ve never even been to India.”
The former model, now a digital influencer and hairdresser, added:
“I love the Indian people. Welcome, my Indian followers! It seems I’ve gained many Indian followers now — but it wasn’t me, only my photo.”
Playfully, she remarked:
“I don’t even look Indian. I thought I looked Mexican!”
‘Soon I’ll Be Famous in India!’, Larissa’s Lighthearted Take
On a lighter note, Larissa joked that she planned to learn a few Indian words to greet her growing fan base.
“I only know ‘Namaste.’ I’ll have to learn a few more. I’ll use them in my next video, soon, I’ll be famous in India.”
Rahul Gandhi’s Renewed Allegations
During the “H-Files” presentation, Gandhi claimed that the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections were “stolen”, alleging:
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25 lakh fake entries in the electoral rolls
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5.21 lakh duplicate voters
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93,174 invalid addresses
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19.26 lakh bulk voters
“There was no election in Haryana. There was a theft, and it’s very clear who is responsible,” he asserted.
Reality Check: Electoral Fraud By Rahul Gandhi, or Photo Worldwide?
Rahul Gandhi made a political bomb attacK, and it was packaged in a viral photo! During his passionate, on-heat H Files presser, the Congress leader alleged that a photograph of one woman had 22 entries in the voter lists of Haryana with different names, Seema, Sweety, or Saraswati. He termed it as evidence of a large-scale, centralised conspiracy to fix the 2024 Haryana elections and rob Congress of a victory.
However, there is an entertaining twist to it, the photo was found by a quick Google search to be owned by Matheus Ferrero, a Brazilian photographer who works on Unsplash with fashion and portraits. So, what’s really going on?
An election scam with technology, or a case of wrong identity going viral?
Whichever one, this political storyline has been given a very international twist, as Rio as Haryana!
Election Commission And BJP Strike Back At Rahul Gandhi’s vote chori assertions
Rahul Gandhi has also received dismissive treatment by the Election Commission, with his allegations of vote chori being described as baseless and politically motivated. Authorities explained that there were no appeals made against the voter lists of Haryana, and they questioned how Gandhi would be in a position to know what party these so-called duplicate voters were supporting. An EC source reportedly quoted that, in case there were fake entries, how would he know that they had voted in favour of the BJP and not Congress?
In the meantime, the BJP has been on the offensive, calling the allegations of Gandhi false and ungrounded. The leaders of the party claimed that he was attempting to defame the democratic institutions of India and transfer the responsibility for his party’s poor electoral performance. A BJP spokesperson joked when he said that you blame the system when you cannot win.
As both parties hurl insults at each other, the debate has resulted in a lot of speculation, as many ask, is it indeed voter fraud, or just another political hurricane building up to the next big election?
(The Video Is Unavailable as the model has turned her Instagram private)
(With Inputs)
Aishwarya is a journalism graduate with over three years of experience thriving in the buzzing corporate media world. She’s got a knack for decoding business news, tracking the twists and turns of the stock market, covering the masala of the entertainment world, and sometimes her stories come with just the right sprinkle of political commentary. She has worked with several organizations, interned at ZEE and gained professional skills at TV9 and News24, And now is learning and writing at NewsX, she’s no stranger to the newsroom hustle. Her storytelling style is fast-paced, creative, and perfectly tailored to connect with both the platform and its audience. Moto: Approaching every story from the reader’s point of view, backing up her insights with solid facts.
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