Who was Shyam Saran Negi, the first voter of independent India?
Shyam Saran Negi, popularly known as Master Shyam, was the first voter in Indian democracy when the country's general elections were held in January and February 1952.
India's inaugural election took place in February 1952, yet voting for tribal areas in Himachal Pradesh occurred five months earlier in October 1951 due to winter inaccessibility. Shyam Saran Negi arrived early and learned he was the first person to cast a vote that day.
A teacher by profession, Negi had voted in every Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, and local government election since 1951.
He cast independent India's first vote at the Shonthong polling station.
The 105-year-old had voted more than 30 times in his life.
Even before his death, he cast a postal ballot in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections 2022 on 2 November.
Negi believed that it is not only our right but also our duty to participate in the elections. All his life he urged people, especially youth, to exercise their right to vote,.
The Kinnaur district government honoured Negi's last vote with traditional drum beats and a red carpet.
Shyam Saran Negi was designated as the state Election Commission's brand ambassador for the tribal region's electoral campaign in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district in 2014. At the time, he was 97 years old.
Google also featured Negi in their digital campaign to encourage Indians to vote.