HP: India’s First Voter Shyam Saran Negi Dies 3 Days After Casting his Last Vote, PM Modi Condoles Death

Shimla: Independent India’s first voter Shyam Saran Negi passed away at the age of 106 at his residence in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday morning. The voting for state Assembly’s polls is scheduled to be held on Nov 12, 2022, but Negi had cast his last vote through postal ballot on Nov 2. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held an election rally in Sundar Nagar of Mandi district in the state on Saturday, condoled the demise of centenarian voter. 

“I learnt about the death of Shyam Saran Negi when I was leaving from New Delhi in the morning. The 106-year-old had voted more than 30 times in his life. Just a few days ago, Negi had cast his vote through postal ballot for the Himachal Pradesh polls. Even before his demise, he discharged his duty,” Modi said. 

सोलन की जनता के अपनेपन और भरपूर स्नेह के लिए कोटि-कोटि धन्यवाद। #DoubleEngineSeVikas https://t.co/GZd06sDDGE

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 5, 2022

Negi was the first person to cast his vote in the Independent India on Oct 23, 1951 in the Kalpa polling station and on Nov 2, 2022, he cast his vote for the 34th time. The first general elections in the country were held in January and February 1952. However, due to the weather conditions and snowfall in January in Himachal Pradesh, the polling was conducted in the month of October 1951.

The state Election Commission had laid a red carpet for the centenarian voter outside his house compound. Deputy Commissioner of Kinnaur Amandeep Garg said Negi will be cremated with full state honour. 

Chief Minister Jairan Thakur expressed his condolences over Negi’s death and said the memory of the first voter of India casting his last vote ‘will always be emotional.’

“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,” Thakur wrote in his tweet. 

स्वतंत्र भारत के पहले मतदाता और हमारे किन्नौर जिला से संबंध रखने वाले श्याम सरन नेगी जी के निधन का दुःखद समाचार प्राप्त हुआ।

ईश्वर से प्रार्थना है कि उनकी पुण्य आत्मा को शांति प्रदान करें।

शोकग्रस्त परिवारजनों के प्रति मेरी गहरी संवेदनाएं हैं।

ॐ शांति! pic.twitter.com/JzFXrtyeUH

— Jairam Thakur (@jairamthakurbjp) November 5, 2022

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