Brazilian model Larissa Nery reacted after Rahul Gandhi alleged that her old photograph was used in large-scale voter fraud in Haryana, saying her image was misused by people in India to scam voters.
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s “vote chori” (voter theft) allegation in Haryana took an unexpected international turn on Wednesday, all the way to Brazil.
During a press conference titled “H Files”, Gandhi displayed a photo of a woman he claimed was a Brazilian model, stating that her image appeared 22 times in Haryana’s voter rolls under different names such as 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, and has multiple names,” Gandhi said, calling the image “proof of a centralised operation” to manipulate election results.
He alleged that such fraudulent entries were part of a broader conspiracy that cost the Congress its victory in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections.
Gandhi also noted that the same image could be found online credited to Matheus Ferrero, a Brazilian photographer known for his portraits and fashion images available on Unsplash.
Independent searches confirmed that Ferrero’s work, including the now-viral photograph, is publicly accessible online.
Following Gandhi’s statement, the image went viral, sparking widespread curiosity about the woman in the photo. A few hours later, a woman claiming to be the person in question posted a video reacting to the situation.
A reverse image search identified her as Larissa Nery, a Brazilian model and salon professional.
Nery later reposted screenshots of her video circulating on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to her Instagram story.
In her video, spoken in Portuguese, Nery confirmed that the image was indeed hers, taken years ago, when she was around 20.
“Folks, let me tell you the gossip. You’re laughing too much, aren’t you? I’m going to tell you. They are using an old photo of mine. My photo is old, okay? Look, I was very young in the photo, about 20 years old, maybe 18,” she said.
“They are using a photo of mine to run, I don’t know if it’s an election or something where you have to vote. And in India, they are portraying me as an Indian woman to scam others,” she added.
Expressing disbelief, she continued, “Oh my god, how crazy. What madness is this, what world are we living in?”
Nery also said she received a call from a journalist after her photo went viral. “Then a reporter called me wanting to know about this thing. He called the salon where I work, wanting to talk to me for an interview. I didn’t answer. The guy found my Instagram and called me there,” she said.
The viral mix-up has since drawn international attention, blending a serious political allegation in India with an unsuspecting woman from Brazil caught in the storm.
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