Brazilian Woman's Photo at Center of India Voter Fraud Allegations
A Brazilian hairdresser, Larissa Nery, has garnered media attention in India following allegations of voter fraud. Her photograph was displayed during a press conference by Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, leading to her unexpected involvement in a political controversy. Nery, who resides in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and has no prior connection to India, initially perceived the situation as a mistake or a prank before realizing its factual nature due to extensive social media engagement.
Allegations of Voter Irregularities
On Wednesday, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi held a press conference where he accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission (EC) of voter fraud in the 2023 Haryana state election. The BJP has denied these allegations.
Gandhi claimed that an analysis of the Election Commission's voter list data for Haryana, which contains approximately 20 million voters, revealed 2.5 million irregular entries. These irregularities reportedly included duplicate entries, bulk voters, and invalid addresses. He attributed his party's loss in the Haryana election to this alleged manipulation of the voter list.
To support his claims, Gandhi presented several slides, one of which featured a large image of Larissa Nery. Another slide compiled 22 voter entries, each with different names and addresses, but all utilizing the same photograph of Nery.
Larissa Nery's Account
Nery confirmed that the photograph was indeed of her. She stated it was taken in March 2017 when she was 21 years old by Brazilian photographer Matheus Ferrero, near her home. Nery clarified that she is a hairdresser and not a professional model, despite Gandhi's description. The photograph was subsequently used repeatedly across multiple voter entries under various names, including Seema, Sweety, and Saraswati.
Nery expressed concern regarding the sudden influx of attention from India, including numerous journalists. She noted the professional impact, stating, "I did not go to work in the morning because I could not even see messages from my clients. Many journalists were calling me. They found the number of the place where I work." She has since removed her salon's name from her public profiles due to the disruption.
Photographer's Perspective
Matheus Ferrero, the photographer who took Nery's picture, also reported an increase in inquiries from India. He mentioned that he had initially dismissed earlier inquiries about the woman in the photo as scams, blocking and reporting them. However, since Gandhi's press conference, he acknowledged that inquiries had significantly increased.
Official Responses
Hours after Gandhi's press conference, the Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana posted on X, sharing a letter they indicated had been sent to Gandhi in August. This letter reportedly requested Gandhi to provide an oath detailing the names of ineligible voters to initiate necessary proceedings. The Chief Electoral Officer's post did not address Gandhi's specific allegations or Nery's case. The BBC has sought a response from the poll panel regarding the matter.