Larissa, Brazilian model
Credit: Screengrab
A Brazilian model identified as Larissa has reacted with disbelief as her old photograph went viral on Wednesday after it was shown at a press conference by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that it was used to commit voter fraud in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections.
Displaying the image on the screen with the title 'Yeh kaun hai?', Rahul said the picture of a woman he identified as a Brazilian model appeared 22 times in 10 booths in the Rai constituency with names like Seema, Sweety and Saraswati.
Rahul accused the Election Commission of being in partnership with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to “destroy the democratic foundation” of the country and “systematically” helping the BJP through electoral malpractice.
In a video shared by fact-checker Mohammed Zubair of Alt News, the model's comments, loosely translated from Portuguese, indicated surprise over her old photo resurfacing in India.
Larissa said the picture was taken when she was 18 or 20 years old and wondered why it was being used in an election-related issue in India.
"They're portraying me as Indian to scam people, guys. What madness! What craziness is this, what world do we live in?" she said, reacting to the viral political storm around her image.
She also said that a reporter had contacted her through Instagram for an interview about the matter.