A Brazilian model, Larissa Rocha Silva, has expressed shock after discovering that one of her old photos was used in India’s ongoing “vote chori” (vote theft) controversy in Haryana. The image appeared during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent press conference, where he alleged large-scale voter fraud in the state.
Silva, a Brazilian influencer and model, said she was stunned to see her teenage photo being used in Indian politics. In a video shared online, translated from Portuguese, she said, “Guys, I can’t believe these people are gossiping. They’re using an old photo of mine… I was 18 or 20 in that picture. They’re portraying me as Indian to scam people. What madness! What craziness is this, what world do we live in?”
Her image, reportedly used under different names such as Seema and Saraswati, was shown 22 times across voter ID cards in Haryana, according to Rahul Gandhi’s claims. “Congress lost the election by 22,000 votes, but who is this lady? She votes 22 times in Haryana, in 10 different booths. She has multiple names,” Gandhi said during his presentation, displaying Silva’s picture on screen with the caption “Yeh kaun hai?”
Reacting to the viral controversy, Silva said she had no idea why her photo was circulating in an Indian political issue. “You’re using my picture for something related to voting… I don’t even know if it’s an election. And in India, they’re showing me as if I’m Indian, to make people fight with each other. Look how crazy this is! What a mess I’m living in,” she said.
The model added that journalists had started contacting her about the incident. “A reporter called my workplace asking for an interview. I told them not to give him my number, but he still found me on Instagram. Then a friend from another city sent me the picture and said, ‘Look, you won’t believe this!’” Silva recounted.
The Election Commission later dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s allegations, stating that polling agents had not raised any objections during the voting process.
