Himachal Pradesh: 1st voter of Independent India dies at 106; days after voting in Assembly polls

The first voter of Independent India Shyam Saran Negi had cast his vote in Himachal Pradesh's Assembly Elections through a postal ballot a few days ago.

Pic Credit: Twitter

Shimla: The first voter of Independent India, Shyam Saran Negi died on Saturday morning at the age of 106 in his native place Kalpa. He had earlier voted for the 34th time for the 14th Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections through a postal ballot at his residence. Chief Minister Jairam Thakur mourned the centenarian's death and said that he was "saddened" by the news. Negi belonged to Kinnaur and will be cremated with full state honour, said Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur.

CM Thakur tweeted, "Saddened to hear the news of the demise of Shyam Saran Negi ji, the first voter of independent India and who belonged to Kinnaur. While performing his duty, he cast his postal vote for the assembly elections for the 34th time on November 2, this memory will always be emotional. Peace!"

स्वतंत्र भारत के पहले मतदाता एवं किन्नौर से संबंध रखने वाले श्याम सरन नेगी जी के निधन की खबर सुनकर दुःखी हूं।

उन्होंने अपना कर्तव्य निभाते हुए 34वीं बार बीते 2 नवंबर को ही विधानसभा चुनाव के लिए अपना पोस्टल वोट डाला, यह याद हमेशा भावुक करेगी।

ॐ शांति! — Jairam Thakur (@jairamthakurbjp) November 5, 2022

He further wrote, "May God bless his virtuous soul at his feet and give strength to the bereaved family members."

According to reports, Negi cast his first vote on Oct 25, 1951. In an astonishing record, he has voted in every general election since that and was the oldest voter in the country.

शतायु मतदाता श्याम सरन नेगी दे रहे हैं, युवा मतदाताओं को मतदान करने की प्रेरणा। #ECI#YoungVoters#NoVoterToBeLeftBehind pic.twitter.com/oJlSSPuD4A — Election Commission of India #SVEEP (@ECISVEEP) October 18, 2022

The Election Commission of India had earlier shared a video of Shyam Saran Negi to inspire youth to participate in voting. Speaking on the same, Negi has said, "The young voters should consider their duty to vote and contribute in strengthening the Nation."