Independent India’s first and oldest voter passes away at 106
In a democracy like India, casting your vote is not only a right but also a duty of all adult citizens. But have you ever wondered who was the first ever voter of independent India?
Well, the answer is a person named Shyam Saran Negi from Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, a hamlet roughly 265 kilometres from Shimla. He recently passed away at the age of 106 years due to natural causes. In fact, it was only three days after the man cast his final vote (for the 34th time!) through postal ballot, that he breathed his last. It was for the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election that happened on 2nd November.
Deemed as “Himachal’s pride” and the “first and oldest voter of India”, Negi was the Election Commission’s brand ambassador and represented “indomitable spirit and faith in democracy.”
Popularly known as “masterjee” in his village (which has a population less than 2000 people), Negi was a primary school teacher by profession. Till earlier this year, Negi had visited the nearest polling centre to cast his vote, but this time chose to do it from his home pertaining to his ill health.
Negi had first voted in 1952, during the country’s first general elections conducted in 1951-52. In fact, till his death, he hadn’t missed a single election, be it Parliamentary or Panchayat.
What’s more interesting is that, until July 2007, Negi was not aware of his status as the country’s first voter. It was only when the Election Commission of India tracked him down that he got to know of his unusual feat. Later, during the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, the Election Commission of India in collaboration with Google India even made a video featuring Negi for its “Pledge to Vote” campaign. In fact, since then, Negi was often set as an example for the nation’s youth, encouraging them to go ahead and cast their valuable votes, in turn strengthening the foundations of the country’s democracy.
Among the ones who paid tribute on the demise of the country’s first voter were, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur, Congree President Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar. Kumar even appealed to the voters of Himachal Pradesh to cast their vote in the ongoing state election. He had even been personally in touch with Mr. Negi during his time and had even shared a few letters with him, he recalled. The last letter was sent on the occasion of International Day of Older Persons, observed on on 1st October.