When Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that a “ Brazilian woman’s photo appeared 22 times across 10 booths in Haryana’s Rai constituency” and called it evidence of “centralised manipulation for vote chori", the claim triggered a political storm and a curious investigation on the ground.

For two days, India Today visited Machroli and neighbouring villages in Rai Assembly constituency, identifying six separate voter cases featuring the now-infamous “Brazilian model photo.” What emerged was a complex mix of clerical errors, outdated records, and possible data manipulation, painting a more nuanced picture than either side of the political divide has admitted.

NO VOTE CHORI, JUST A PHOTO MISPRINT

In two of the five cases, voters admitted that their photos had been wrongly printed, but t

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