HIMACHAL PRADESH: Independent India’s first voter, the 106-year-old Shyam Saran Negi died today at his native place in Himachal Pradesh’s Kalpa, days after he cast his last vote in the 14th Assembly elections of the state.
On November 2, Negi had exercised his right to vote for the 34th time by using the postal ballot for the first time for the assembly elections of state for which voting would be held on November 12. In his life, Negi had never missed a chance to vote. When the first general elections were announced in the country, a decision was taken to hold the voting in Kinnaur on October 25, 1951 considering the harsh winters and early snowfall while in other parts of the country elections were held in January-February, 1952.
Deputy commissioner, Kinnaur, Abid Hussain Sadiq said that Shyam Saran Negi breathed his last at 2am at his residence. He said that district administration is making arrangement for his last rites with full honour.
Negi was a source of inspiration to others as he had never missed the chance to vote in parliamentary, assembly and panchayat elections and had made it a point to cast his vote always.
Despite his ailing health, he was determined to cast his vote at the polling station on November 12 but when his condition deteriorated, he filled the form 12D to cast his vote at his residence at Kalpa on November 2. Kinnaur district administration had given him red carpet welcome at his residence to poll his vote