Rahul Gandhi's recent allegations of electoral fraud in the Haryana Assembly elections have sparked considerable debate, particularly his claim that a Brazilian woman's image was used to cast 22 votes. Gandhi, a leading figure in the opposition Congress party, has accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of colluding to manipulate the election results.
During a press conference on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, Gandhi presented what he called the "H-files," alleging that approximately 2.5 million votes in Haryana were fraudulent. He categorized these as duplicate voters, invalid addresses, and bulk voters. Among the evidence presented, a photograph of a woman, identified as a Brazilian model, was highlighted as a prime example of the alleged irregularities. Gandhi claimed this image appeared 22 times across 10 different polling booths under various names, including Seema, Sweety, Saraswati, Rashmi, and Vilma. He questioned how a Brazilian woman's photo could be on Haryana's electoral list and implied a centralized operation to rig the polls.
The image in question, according to reports, is a stock photo available on Unsplash, a platform for sharing visual content. It was reportedly published in 2017 by a Brazilian photographer named Matheus Ferrero. The woman in the photo has been identified as Larissa Bonesi. Bonesi, a Brazilian digital influencer and hairdresser, stated that she had no connection to Indian politics and that her image was used without her consent. "It's not me, I've never even been to India," she clarified.
Gandhi's allegations have drawn mixed reactions. Some, like Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, support his claims, asserting that the ECI is enabling the BJP to "capture states via vote theft". However, the ECI has refuted Gandhi's accusations, with sources claiming that no appeals were filed against the electoral rolls in Haryana. They questioned why the Indian National Congress's Booth Level Agents (BLAs) didn't raise objections during the revision process to avoid multiple entries.
The Congress party lost the Haryana Assembly election by a narrow margin. Gandhi has described the alleged vote manipulation as "Operation Sarkar Chori," claiming a plan was in motion to convert a Congress victory into a loss. He has urged young people to pay attention, framing it as a matter concerning their future and questioning the integrity of the Election Commission and the democratic process.
While Gandhi claims to possess "100% proof" of the alleged fraud, critics point to the lack of concrete evidence and the ECI's denial. The incident has sparked debate about the security and integrity of the electoral process in India, with questions raised about how stock images could be used in voter lists and the effectiveness of the ECI's mechanisms for detecting and preventing fraud. It remains to be seen whether Gandhi will pursue legal action or present further evidence to substantiate his claims.
