Nov 5 : Rajiv Kumar, along with Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Nitesh Kumar Vyas and other members of ECI (Election Commission of India) visited the residence of late Shyam Saran Negi at Kalpa in district Kinnaur on Saturday to condole the demise of the first voter of Independent India who passed away in the wee hours today. The CEC met the bereaved family members and expressed his grief over the sad demise of Shri Negi. He also offered floral tributes and said that Shri Negi had deep belief in democracy and always insisted the generations to exercise their voting rights for a strong governance. He said that the true tribute to the departed soul would be to follow his appeals and the people of Himachal Pradesh should come out to vote in large numbers. He said Shri Negi will always be remembered for his contribution as an Election Icon and a motivator. His commitment for voting could be seen that even before his demise, he opted to vote through postal ballot as he was not feeling well for quite some time. Chief Secretary R.D.Dhiman and Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg also paid homage to the departed soul by offering floral tributes.
