Shimla, Nov 5 : Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar along with Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Nitesh Kumar Vyas and members of the Election Commission of India on Saturday visited the residence of Shyam Saran Negi at Kalpa in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh to condole the demise of the first voter of Independent India. Negi, who was 106 years old, passed away in the early hours of Saturday. The CEC met bereaved family members and expressed his grief. He also offered floral tributes and said Negi had deep belief in democracy and always insisted the generations to exercise their voting rights for a strong governance. He said 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 on November 12 for the assembly elections. The CEC said 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 him. /IANS