The Congress MP, Rahul Gandhi, recently alleged large-scale vote fraud in Haryana. At a news conference to back his claim, he flashed a picture which later went viral on social media sites. The photo was of a Brazilian model named Larissa Neri, whom Rahul Gandhi said had been used to create fake votes.
The model in the viral image soon was identified as Larissa Neri from Brazil. After the press conference, many went online to find out who she is. Larissa took to her Instagram page to address the issue, saying she was surprised to see her photo used in this context.
Larissa said she was shocked to find her image linked to a story about vote theft. She explained that, after the photo went viral, calls and interview requests started coming in.
She clarified, “That’s my old photo. I think it was taken when I was around 18 or 20 years old. It seems someone bought it from a stock image website and used it without my consent. They made me part of a scam by claiming I was Indian. This is absurd. I have no connection with Indian politics. I am a digital influencer from Brazil. Many people are now contacting me for interviews, but I cannot respond to everyone.”
Rahul Gandhi accused the ruling party in Haryana of creating about 25 lakh fake votes during the last assembly elections, which he said helped the BJP stay in power. As part of his claim, the Congress leader presented the photo of the Brazilian model to highlight irregularities.
During his speech, Rahul Gandhi asked why the Election Commission of India had not noticed the fake votes. He also said that reportedly 22 fake votes were created using the model's image.
