New Delhi: Brazilian model Larissa Rocha Silva has reacted with disbelief after her old photograph surfaced during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of voter fraud in Haryana. The model, who has no links to India’s electoral process, expressed shock over the use of her image in what she called “madness.”
Rahul Gandhi, during a press conference earlier this week, alleged that large-scale “vote chori” (vote theft) had taken place in Haryana. Displaying electoral roll entries, he claimed the same woman’s photo was used across 22 voter IDs, under names such as “Sweety” and “Saraswathi”, suggesting widespread duplication and manipulation.
Reacting to the mention, Rocha Silva told News18 she was stunned to see her picture used in an Indian political controversy. “What madness is this? I like Indian people, but I have nothing to do with politics,” she said, urging that her photo be removed from any voter database or political material.
The model clarified that the photograph in question was taken years ago for a modelling assignment and had likely been lifted from the internet without her consent.
Following Gandhi’s claims, the Election Commission of India said no formal complaints about voter duplication were received from Congress representatives during the Haryana polls and maintained that standard verification protocols were followed.
