Who is Brazilian Model Larissa Nery? Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chori’ Controversy Explained

A photo of Brazilian model Larissa Nery unexpectedly became the centre of political debate in India after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed it appeared multiple times in Haryana’s voter lists, fueling his allegations of electoral fraud.

Rahul Gandhi’s Claim

During a press conference titled ‘H Files’, Gandhi presented an image of a woman and said her photograph appeared 22 times under different names such as Saraswati, Sweety, and Seema in Haryana’s voter lists. He described the image as proof of large-scale voter manipulation that he alleged affected the 2024 Haryana Assembly election results.

Gandhi also traced the image online and linked it to Brazilian photographer Matheus Ferrero, whose work is hosted on platforms like Unsplash, claiming it was part of a “centralised operation” to rig the election.

Larissa Nery Reacts

Hours later, the woman in the photo spoke publicly, identifying herself as Larissa Nery, a Brazilian model. She clarified that the photograph used by Gandhi was taken when she was around 18–20 years old and expressed surprise and amusement at the incident.

“People are using an old photo of mine. They are using my photo in something related to voting in India, as if I am an Indian woman,” she said in a video, translated from Portuguese.

Larissa added that journalists even contacted the salon where she works, leading to an influx of messages after her photo went viral. She shared screenshots of the video circulating on social media platforms via her Instagram story (@Larinerym).

Photo Origin

The photograph was originally clicked by Matheus Ferrero, a Brazilian photographer whose portraits are widely available on free-image websites. The image has been used online and clearly does not pertain to any voter in Haryana.

The controversy highlights how old or stock images can be misused in political narratives. Larissa Nery’s reaction clarified that she has no connection to Indian elections, while her photo unintentionally became part of a political debate.