An unexpected turn of events has seen a Brazilian model, Larissa Nery, become the subject of an Indian political controversy. Her photograph was presented by Rahul Gandhi as evidence of alleged voter fraud in Haryana, claiming she voted multiple times under different aliases. Nery has since reacted with bewildered amusement.
In a social media video, Nery shared her surprise at her old photo being used in an Indian election context. “They’re using an old photo of mine. I look really young in the photo — I must be about 20, 18 years old. They are using my photo to do… I don’t know if it’s an election, something you have to vote in India. They’re portraying me as Indian to scam people, guys. Can you believe it? What kind of craziness are we living through?” she exclaimed.
She described how her old image, from when she was around 18 to 20 years old, was circulated. Nery mentioned a reporter contacted her salon and then her Instagram for an interview regarding the electoral issue. The situation came to her attention when a friend shared the viral image.
Rahul Gandhi had claimed the model’s picture was associated with 22 entries on the Haryana voter list, bearing names like Sweety, Seema, and Saraswati. However, investigations revealed that a genuine voter, Poonam, also had Larissa’s photograph on her voter ID. Media reports confirmed Poonam presented her ID and stated she had participated in the voting process, validating her electoral participation.
Following the incident, the BJP has leveled accusations against the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, asserting that they deliberately circulated a false voter list to tarnish the image of the Election Commission of India.