Congress cites viral Pune woman photo to bolster vote theft claims, woman clarifies intent

The woman, identified as Urrmi, a lawyer from Pune, shared a selfie showing her inked finger on social media with the caption: “Voted for a Modi-fied India. Jaai ke Vote daali, Bihar.”

The post quickly spread online, with Congress workers claiming it was fresh proof of voters casting ballots in multiple states.

The party’s social media teams linked the post to Rahul Gandhi’s recent accusation that BJP supporters were engaging in voter identity manipulation.

Gandhi had earlier alleged that a woman with multiple names voted across 10 booths during the Haryana elections.

Soon after the post went viral, several Congress supporters shared old photos of Urrmi voting in Maharashtra, alleging that the same person was now seen voting in Bihar.

“Multi-state voting is the new startup. Investor: BJP. Product: Fake mandate,” wrote Congress digital coordinator Reshma Alam on X.

Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil also joined in with a sarcastic post that read: “I will vote in Maharashtra in Lok Sabha, I will vote in Bihar in Vidhan Sabha, I will steal votes for Modi.”

Even alliance partners in Bihar picked up the issue. RJD spokesperson Priyanka Bharti attacked the BJP, saying: “In 2024 she voted in Maharashtra, and in 2025 she votes in Bihar. They’ve sold all their shame! When you ask them, they say, ‘The system is ours!’ This arrogance shows how the system serves the BJP.”

However, the woman at the centre of the row later clarified that her post had been misinterpreted.

In a follow-up statement, she said she had not voted in Bihar and had only shared the image to encourage voter participation.

“This was just for motivation,” she wrote. “I never said I voted today. Everyone knows my vote was in Maharashtra. Calm down! Motivated enough? Now your turn, Bihar. Go vote.”

The controversy echoes another recent incident involving a Brazilian woman’s photo, which went viral after allegedly being featured in Haryana’s voter list.

The image, later identified as that of Larissa Nery, a hairdresser, had been freely available on stock photography websites such as Unsplash and Pexels.

Nery told NDTV that she initially thought the viral image was a joke but became frightened after learning it had been linked to political allegations in India.

“At first, I laughed, but then I got scared when I realized my picture was being used in a serious controversy. I don’t even understand the language in those videos,” she said.

As political parties exchange accusations and memes multiply on social media, the Election Commission has yet to respond publicly to the growing claims around “multi-state voting” and alleged misuse of voter data online.