Page 20 - NIS English 16-31 Jan, 2026

COVER STORY

National Voters’ Day Special

Shyam Saran Negi

During the first Lok Sabha election in the
country, there were 17.32 crore voters, a num-
ber that has now crossed 97 crore in the 2024
elections. Managing this more than fivefold in-
crease in the number of voters would not have
been possible without EVMs and VVPATs.

Sections 16, 19, and the Representation of the People
Act, 1950, lay down the basic eligibility criteria for
enrollment. These criteria are: the applicant must be
an Indian citizen, mentally sound, have completed 18
years of age on a specified date, and be a resident of the
concerned constituency. It is the constitutional respon-
sibility of the Election Commission to ensure that only
eligible citizens are included in the electoral roll. This is
crucial for maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the First Voter of
electoral roll and for conducting free and fair elections. Independent India
Removing ineligible voters and duplicate entries from
the electoral roll ensures transparency, which strength- Shyam Saran Negi, the first voter of
ens democracy. independent India, voted continuously
Provision 21 of the Registration of Electors Rules, for more than 70 years and fulfilled his
1960, stipulates that the electoral roll for each constit- duty even in his final days by casting
uency should undergo a Special Intensive Revision or his vote through a postal ballot on
Summary Revision as directed by the Election Commis- November 2, 2022. He exercised his
sion. This revision is conducted four times a year, and right to vote a total of 34 times. Shyam
the roll is amended accordingly. The Constitution grants Saran Negi passed away on November
the Election Commission full authority to conduct a 5, 2022, at the age of 106 in his
thorough revision of the electoral roll. This is not the ancestral village of Kalpa in Kinnaur,
first time that SIR (Special Intensive Revision) has been Himachal Pradesh.
conducted in the country; it has been done several
times before. Summary Revision is a routine updating
process, while SIR is a comprehensive process. In SIR,
Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conduct a house-to-house
enumeration. The country’s first general election was Ram Meghwal, says that, along with the continuous
held in 1952, and the first Special Intensive Review (SIR) reformative initiatives of the Election Commission,
was conducted in the same year. The second SIR took National Voters’ Day is celebrated every year on January
place in 1957, the third in 1961, followed by one in 1965- 25th to commemorate the establishment of the Com-
66. Others were conducted in 1983-84, 1987-89, 1992, mission. The Election Commission organises a ceremo-
1993, and 1995. Then there were reviews in 2002 and ny on this day with political parties of the country and
2003. No special intensive review has been conducted foreign representatives. In these ceremonies, foreign
in the last two decades. Therefore, the most recent SIR representatives have consistently praised India’s Elec-
is happening in 2025-26, after a gap since 2004. tion Commission, its electoral system, and the conduct
Union Minister of State for Law and Justice, Arjun of elections.

18 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || January 16-31, 2026