Shyam Saran Negi (श्याम शरण नेगी), born 1917 in Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, is a retired schoolteacher who cast the first vote in the 1951 general election in India — the nation's first election since the end of the British Raj in 1947 (although the majority of the election took place in February 1952, residents of Himachal Pradesh were given the chance to vote five months early because of the probability that heavy snowfall would make it impossible for citizens to reach the polling stations). Negi has voted in every general election since 1951, and is believed to be India's oldest voter as well its first. Shyam Saran will also make a special appearance in a Hindi film Sanam Re.