New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s revelations under “The H Files” have taken a dramatic turn after a fresh controversy emerged involving a photo used as part of his evidence in the alleged Haryana voter fraud case. Speaking at a press conference, Rahul Gandhi alleged that nearly 25 lakh votes were manipulated during the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, calling it one of the biggest threats to India’s democratic process.
Rahul Gandhi, who had earlier hinted that he would “detonate a hydrogen bomb” of truth, said that The H Files would expose deep-rooted corruption and systematic tampering within India’s electoral framework. One striking example he cited involved the Rai constituency, where the same woman’s photograph appeared 22 times under different names such as Seema, Sweety, Saraswati, Rashmi, and Vimla.
The photograph soon went viral, and internet users identified it as belonging to Larissa Nery, a Brazilian hairdresser and model, whose image had been uploaded to a stock photo website nearly eight years ago. The photo, reportedly downloaded over 4 lakh times, was never intended for political use.
When Larissa learned that her image had been shown in an Indian political press conference, she expressed shock and disbelief. Sharing her reaction on social media, she said:
“Folks, let me tell you the gossip. You’re laughing too much, aren’t you? I’m going to tell the gossip. They are using an old photo of mine. My photo is old, okay? Look, I was very young in the photo — about 20 years old, maybe 18.”
“They are using a photo of mine to run, I don’t know if it’s an election, something where you have to vote. And in India, they are portraying me as an Indian woman to scam others, folks.”
“Oh my god, how crazy. What madness is this, what world are we living in.”
The Brazilian model was reportedly shocked to learn that her image had appeared in an Indian voter list and had been linked to allegations of electoral malpractice.
Meanwhile, Congress sources clarified that the photo was shown by Rahul Gandhi only as a visual example of how identical images were being used for multiple voter IDs in the Haryana election data. They emphasized that it was not about the individual in the photo but about the pattern of fraudulent duplication that Rahul Gandhi’s team discovered.
Congress leaders maintain that The H Files is not about personalities but about protecting the integrity of India’s democratic system. They argue that Rahul Gandhi’s efforts have opened up a much-needed conversation about transparency in the electoral process.
Far from weakening his case, the international attention surrounding the photo has only intensified interest in The H Files, giving Rahul Gandhi’s campaign for electoral reform a stronger global spotlight.