Since its accession to India in October 1947, the state of Jammu and Kashmir has had a long history of electoral conflict. With two constituencies in the state going to the polls on the first day of the Lok Sabha elections 2019, a video (above) reports on the first ever general elections conducted in the state, in 1957.

The short film was made by the now-defunct documentary producer Pathé News. The black-and-white footage shows glimpses of the voting process in the state. Dressed in traditional Kashmiri clothes, queues of people, many with umbrellas, Pathé News waiting for their turn to cast their vote.

According to the video, the National Conference party, which supported Kashmir’s integration with India was unopposed in 38 out of the 75 constituencies at the time.