DHAKA: As India held the latest round of its election Wednesday, 97-year-old Shyam Saran Negi once again trudged several kilometers to vote, a tradition he has kept up since independence in 1947.

The retired teacher, from a remote village high in the Himalayas, has voted in 16 general elections, often walking through heavy snow to reach his local polling station.

A cheering crowd of wellwishers, some blowing trumpets, greeted Negi on Wednesday as he arrived to cast his ballot in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh near the border with China.

‘I am happy to get yet another chance to vote. I appeal to all to vote to elect honest leaders,; Negi told media from Kalpa village, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1624 HRS, MAY 07, 2014