A fresh controversy has erupted around Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “vote chori” (vote theft) campaign, after a Brazilian model’s old photograph was used in his presentation alleging voter ID manipulation in Haryana. The woman, identified as Larissa, has now spoken out, expressing shock and distress at finding her image projected in a major Indian political event without consent.
In a video message that has since gone viral, Larissa said in Portuguese (translated), “Folks, let me tell you the gossip. You’re laughing too much, aren’t you? I’m going to tell the gossip. Folks, they are using an old photo of mine. My photo is old, okay? Look, I was very young in the photo. [I must have been] about 20 years old, 18 years old.”
She further said, “They are using a photo of mine to run, I don’t know if it’s an election, something where you have to vote. And in India, they are portraying me as an Indian woman to scam others, folks.”
“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. So I didn’t answer… The guy found my Instagram, called me on Instagram,” she added.
The name of the Brazilian Model seen in @RahulGandhi‘s press conference is Larissa. Here’s her reaction after her old photograph went viral. pic.twitter.com/K4xSibA2OP
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) November 5, 2025
The model said she had been flooded with messages and even received the viral image from friends in other cities who were confused by the situation.
Overwhelmed by the sudden attention, Larissa has reportedly made her social media account private.
Online searches show that Larissa’s image is part of a portrait series by Brazilian photographer Matheus Ferrero, widely available on free stock photo platforms.
Her ordeal began after Rahul Gandhi displayed her image during a press conference as “proof” of fake voter IDs allegedly used by the BJP during the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections. Gandhi had claimed the same woman’s photo appeared on 22 voter cards across 10 polling booths, calling it evidence of a “centralised voter fraud operation.”
Meanwhile, CNN-News18 interviewed one of the women whose voter ID allegedly featured the Brazilian model’s photo. The woman, identified as Pinky Juginder Kaushik, clarified that it was a clerical error. She said, “Yes, I went to cast my vote myself at the village school. The names are the same, but there was a mistake with the photo — they used someone else’s picture. Nevertheless, I did vote. No one pressured me to vote. I showed my slip and then cast my vote.”
It was found that one of the ladies whose photo was shown as Larissa’s in the presentation by Rahul Gandhi, had her image in the voter ID card. So, did Rahul Gandhi manipulate it?
Additionally, the Election Commission refuted his allegations, stating that the Congress’s own polling agents had raised no objections during the voting process. Later, investigations by The Indian Express found that several examples cited by Gandhi did not substantiate claims of voter list manipulation.
This incident is not the first time Gandhi’s exposés have breached individual privacy. During a similar “vote chori” presentation earlier, a man named Anjani Mishra from Prayagraj had his phone number and photo displayed on screen. Following that, Mishra said he was inundated with calls from across India, forcing him to consider filing a complaint.
Larissa’s experience has revived that debate — with critics accusing Rahul Gandhi of being reckless in handling personal and identifiable data during public presentations.
Many social media users noted that after a common man’s details were exposed earlier, even a foreign woman had now become entangled in the controversy, raising concerns about repeated privacy violations for political theatrics.
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