India’s first voter Shyam Negi is a little nervous of the media glare when he goes out to vote one more time on May 7, with the Himachal Pradesh poll panel planning to honour him that day.
“I am feeling a little nervous as there will be a huge media presence on that day,” says the 97-year-old Kalpa resident and a retired headmaster, who has voted in every election since the first general polls of 1951.
Negi, a voter in all 15 Lok Sabha elections apart from the Assembly and local body polls in the state, has also featured in a video by Google India as part of its #PledgeToVote campaign.
Kalpa comes under the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency. The state election commission, which roped in Negi as its poll icon in 2012, is going to accord him a grand reception and honour him on polling day. Negi, who will turn 98 on July 1, feels voting is the most pious duty of every citizen.
“It paves the way to the prosperity of the country,” he said.
Published 03 May 2014, 19:08 IST