A day after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi flagged the use of a Brazilian model's photo in over 20 entries on Haryana's voter list, the woman on Thursday expressed shock, saying she was unaware of it.
In a video posted on X, the woman, identified as Larissa, said that the photo appearing on the voter list was an old picture of her used without permission.
"Friends, I’m going to tell you a joke. They are using an old picture me. I must have been about 18-20 years old… I don’t know if it’s an election, something about voting in India!" she said.
"And in India. Ah! They're portraying me as Indian to scam people, guys. What madness! What craziness is this? What world do we live in?" she added.
The woman said she posted the video to clarify her side, as she has been receiving repeated calls from reporters about the issue.
"He (a reporter) called the salon, at my job… wanting to talk to me for an interview and I didn’t answer… the guy found my Instagram and called me there. Now another person who has nothing to do with the subject, a friend of mine from another city, sends me a photo, I’m going to put it here for you, but I need it there," she said.
"Now, another person who has nothing to do with the subject, a friend of mine from another city, sends me a photo, I’m going to put it here for you," she added.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi alleged major irregularities in the Haryana voter list, suggesting that the 2024 Assembly elections were rigged.
To substantiate his claim of fake voters, Gandhi cited the example of the Brazilian model whose photograph appeared 22 times under different names in ten booths.
“This is proof of a centralised operation. The lady is a Brazilian model. What is a Brazilian person doing on the voters’ list in Haryana?” he asked.