Himachal: India’s first voter dies at 105, three days after voting through postal ballot

Shyam Saran Negi, the first voter in India, passed away on Saturday at the age of 105 in his native hamlet of Kalpa in the Kinnaur region, three days after casting his postal ballot for the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections. The brand ambassador for the Election Commission of India was Negi, who has never skipped casting a ballot since Independence. He had previously cast his vote in person at the polls, but due to poor health this election, he chose to vote from home.

Although India has long offered the option of postal voting, this is the first time it has been made available to all residents over the age of 80, those with disabilities that account for at least 40% of their disability, and absentee voters in the state. The deadline for filing Form 12-D to the returning officer in order to request a postal ballot was set by the Election Commission for October 21, 2022.

Himachal Pradesh | 106-year-old Shyam Saran Negi, the first voter of Independent India, passed away this morning at his native place in Kalpa. He will be cremated with full state honour: DC Kinnaur https://t.co/gMtKSstqjp

— ANI (@ANI) November 5, 2022

"Negi Ji was a national and state-wide symbol for voters. Unfortunately, he has been experiencing health issues associated to ageing for the past few days, according to Kinnaur deputy commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq.

Negi, who was born on July 1st, 1917, worked as a teacher at a public school and was given poll duty during the first elections. He had asked the poll workers in his hamlet to let him vote fast so that he could get to the voting place where he was given the job. He was the first voter in the nation when the responsible officer granted his request. Since then, he has never failed to cast a ballot, whether it be in a Lok Sabha election or a panchayat election.