Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Wednesday press conference, aimed at exposing alleged voter fraud and irregularities in Haryana’s electoral rolls, has sparked curiosity over a woman whose photo appeared in multiple entries.
“She voted 22 times in the last Haryana Assembly election,” Rahul claimed, displaying the image.
“Who is this lady? What is her name? Where does she come from? She voted 22 times in Haryana, at 10 different booths, under multiple names — Seema, Sweety, Saraswati, Rashmi, Vilma…” he alleged, claiming the same woman’s photo was used for several voter IDs in the state.
Though Rahul Gandhi claimed she was a Brazilian model, the reality is slightly different — the photo was taken by Brazilian photographer Matheus Ferrero back in 2017. However, the woman’s identity remains a mystery to this day.
A simple Google reverse image search revealed that the photo was actually clicked by Brazilian photographer Matheus Ferrero. However, the model’s name has not been disclosed by him. The images featuring the model are available on major stock image platforms such as Unsplash and Pexels, where Ferrero is listed as the copyright holder.
India Today Digital has reached out to photographer Matheus Ferrero for a comment, and this story will be updated upon his response.
Image-hosting platform Unsplash features two photographs of the same model taken by Matheus Ferrero in 2017. One is the image that Rahul Gandhi claimed appeared on Haryana voter IDs, while the other shows the same woman in identical attire — a denim jacket over a white T-shirt with hoop earrings — and against the same background. Though taken from slightly different angles, both clearly depict the same model.
On another free image-hosting site, the photo Rahul Gandhi displayed is captioned “Woman Wearing Blue Denim Jacket.”
One of the two images clicked by Matheus Ferrero — the same one Rahul Gandhi claimed was used under the names Seema, Sweety, Saraswati, Rashmi, and Vilma — has been circulating online since 2017 as a popular stock photo.
Over the years, the image has been widely used by numerous news outlets, skincare websites, and lifestyle portals for diverse content — ranging from beauty and fashion tips to motivational blogs, wellness articles, social media posts, and news features.
Several Facebook accounts, reportedly operated under Indian women’s names, have also used this same image as their profile photo.
While it is confirmed that the photographer, Matheus Ferrero, is Brazilian, the nationality of the model — whom Rahul Gandhi described as Brazilian — could not be independently verified.
During his press conference on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi used the model’s image while reiterating his allegations of vote chori (vote theft) against the BJP and the Election Commission, claiming widespread voter fraud in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections.
He asserted, citing what he called “100% proof,” that 25 lakh fake votes, roughly 12% of the state’s electorate, were cast — alleging “systemic manipulation” to turn a Congress victory into defeat.
However, Election Commission sources dismissed his claims, noting that no appeals had been filed against the state’s electoral rolls and that only 22 election petitions were pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court out of 90 assembly seats — suggesting a limited legal challenge to the results.
BJP leader and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju mocked Rahul Gandhi’s claims, recalling an earlier instance when another woman, whose photo the Congress leader had used in a similar allegation, publicly refuted his claim.
So, in this latest case, while it is now clear that the image Rahul Gandhi said appeared on 22 voter ID cards was taken by Brazilian photographer Matheus Ferrero, the woman’s identity and nationality remain unknown. (Agencies)
