Shyam Saran Negi

Shyam Saran Negi, born on 1 July 1917[1] in Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, is a retired schoolteacher who cast the first vote in the 1951 general election in India[2][3] — the nation's first election since the end of the British Raj in 1947. Although most of the polling for that first election took place in February 1952, Himachal Pradesh went to the polls five months early because the weather there tends to be inclement in February and March and heavy snowfall during that period would have make it impossible for citizens to reach the polling stations.[4][5] Negi cast the first vote on October 25, 1951.[6] He has voted in every general election since 1951, and is believed to be India's oldest voter as well its first.[4] Shyam Saran Negi also made a special appearance in a Hindi film Sanam Re.[7]

Honour

In 2010, the then Chief Election Commissioner of India, Navin Chawla, visited Negi's village to honour him as part of the Election Commission's diamond jubilee celebrations.[8]

In 2014, Google India produced a public service announcement in which Negi told of his participation in independent India's first election, and reminded viewers of the importance of voting.[9]

References
  1. "'Like a Ph.D': How Election Commission tracked India's first voter Shyam Saran Negi after 45 years". Hindustan TImes. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  2. "Independent India's first voter: 100 and ailing, keen to vote in 2019".
  3. "India's first voter Shyam Saran Negi casts his vote at Kalpa".
  4. India's first voter in Himachal Pradesh, by Gautam Dhmeer, in the Deccan Herald; published 30 October 2012; retrieved 7 April 2014
  5. "Shyam Saran Negi and the ballot have an age-defying connection". The Hindu. PTI. 6 November 2017. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 April 2019.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. "India's first voter fulfils his duty again". The Hindu. PTI. 7 May 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 6 April 2019.CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. "India's first voter Shyam Saran Negi set for acting debut in Bollywood".
  8. "Chawla meets independent India’s first voter - The Hindu". thehindu.com. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  9. India's first voter beats Amitabh in virtual world, by Naresh K Thakur, in the Hindustan Times; published 26 March 2014; retrieved 7 April 2014
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