Age belies national duty: 1st 103 yr old voter of free India cast vote in Panchayat Raj polls in HP

Shimla: Shyam Saran Negi who is 103 yrs old and first voter of independent India cast his vote on Sunday for first phase of 1,200 Gram panchayats in Himachal where 75 per cent turnout was recorded.

State Election Commission said Deputy Commissioner Kinnaur applauded India’s first voter Shyam Saran Negi at Kalpa polling booth with a red carpet welcome.

Mr Negi is the first voter who has been casting his vote in all elections of independent India since first General Election in 1952.

Speaking to mediaperson at Kalpa after casting vote, Mr Negi said in Hindi, “I am feeling elated, happy as nation has been witnessing regular polls since 1947 after breaking shackles of slavery of decades.”

He claims to have cast his vote in every parliamentary, assembly and panchayat elections since then.
On Sunday, he arrived at the polling booth with his family members, and was honoured by the state election commission.

Meanwhile, over a hundred Covid patients or people under quarantine also cast their votes during the elections after following the Covid-related SOPs.

 Polling was held at more than seven thousand wards in the state for the posts of pradhan and up-pradhan, and in nearly five thousand wards for panchayat ward members.

 For Zila Parishads and Panchayat Samitis, 234 and 991 wards went to polls respectively.

The overall voter turnout recorded by the close of polls was around 75 percent, but polling data was still being compiled at the time of filing this report, and the turnout is liable to change. (UNI)