Lok Sabha Elections 2024: First Voting Without India's First Voter, Shyam Saran Negi

Voting is underway in 102 seats across 21 states and Union Territories in the first phase of the Lok Sabha Elections on Friday. The seven-phase voting that started on April 19 will conclude on June 1st and the results for all the phases will be announced on June 4.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), there are around 96.8 crore registered voters in the country including 49.7 crore men, and 47.1 crore women.

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India's first voter won't vote this time

But one person who won't be voting this time is India's first voter. Shyam Saran Negi, who holds the record for being the first voter in the history of Independent India passed away in November 2022, at the age of 106.

This is the first general election in India without its first voter.

Shyam Saran Negi, India's first voter

Negi, a native of Kalpa village in Himachal Pradesh became India's first voter when he cast his vote in the first-ever general election in 1951-1952.

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In 1951, Negi, who was a school teacher at that time, was on election duty and had exercised his franchise in Chini constituency, later renamed Kinnaur.

Back then, voting in the snow-bound areas of the mountain state was held ahead of other places in the country. Thus he became the first ever person to vote in independent India.

34 vote in his lifetime

A firm believer in democracy, Negi never missed a vote in his lifetime and had voted a total of 34 times, with his last vote being in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, just days before his death.

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India's first voter was almost forgotten

Despite being the first voter in the country's history, Negi's achievement was largely forgotten for decades.

It was only in July 2007 that the Election Commission of India tracked the country¡¯s first voter, thanks to an IAS officer Manisha Nanda who noticed from the electoral rolls that Negi was 92 years old then. Nanda got Election officials to visit Negi, who described to them how he voted in the first General Elections.

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