- A government clerk on election duty in the conflict ridden jungle of Central India tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of guerrilla attacks by communist rebels.
- As India, the world's largest democracy, braces itself for another general election- with 9 million polling booths, more than 800 million voters, and costing nearly $5 billion -- Newton Kumar, a rookie government clerk finds himself entrusted with a task that appears deceptively simple: conducting elections in a remote village in the jungles of central India. The bushes teem with Communist guerrillas, who have been waging a decades old war against the state, even as the indigenous tribals live without any access to mainland amenities. Conducting 'free and fair' elections in a minefield like this is no child's play, as Newton learns over the course of this eventful day. Unfazed with the cynicism and danger all around him, Newton is determined to do his duty. But, as they say in the jungle, 'The more things change, the worse they will get'.—Drishyam Films
- Newton Kumaar (Rajkummar Rao) (he changed his own name from Nutan to Newton as kids in school used to make fun), is a rookie government clerk belonging to the Dalit community. He is sent on election duty to a Naxal-controlled town in the conflict-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh, India.
Faced with the apathy of security forces (headed by Atma Singh (Pankaj Tripathi), who is convinced that the locals don't care about the voting and will not turn up for elections and therefore there is no point in risking life and limb for them) and the looming fear of guerrilla attacks by communist rebels, he tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the odds stacked against him. Newton throws the rule book at Atma and forces him to obey his orders and to take him to the polling booth in the middle of the Naxal areas. Newton is very proud of being an honest and straight officer of the government.
Newton makes his entire team March 8 Kms to the polling booth to set up the election voting office. He is disappointed when the voters do not turn up for the election. Newton witnesses how Atma Singh & his troops treat any local as Naxals and has complete disregard for any human life. Newton also writes up a report on Atma's mistreatment of Block Local Officer, an Adivasi by the name of Malko. Atma treats Malko like a Naxal and frequently disrespects her.
Later when a foreign reporter turns up at the polling station the security forces force the villagers from the constituency to turn up to cast their votes. Soon Newton realizes that they have no idea what the election is about. Some thought they would earn money from this, while others asked hopelessly about getting paid sufficiently for their work. He desperately tries to educate them but to no avail. Taking the lead, a frustrated Aatma Singh pushes Newton aside and shames the villagers by telling them that these officers have risked their lives for their vote, and they should not turn them away.
He desperately tries to educate them, but the security head pushes him aside and tells villagers that voting machine is a toy. There are symbols of elephants, cycles, etc. and they could press any symbol they like (leaving them uneducated about the fact that those symbols represent respective political parties).
The foreign reporter gets a good news report about India's democracy Newton wants to sit at the polling booth for the stipulated time but is forced to flee due to a Naxal attack which he realizes later was staged by the police. On gaining such knowledge, he tries to outrun his escort team back to the polling booth, but gets caught on both sides, and is forcefully taken back to safety.
On the way back he decides to collect votes of four villagers who suddenly turn up from nowhere inside the forest from which the security forces are escorting Newton back. The chief of security is reluctant to let them do so. Taking his duty very seriously, Newton steals Aatma Singh's rifle and holds the officer at gunpoint till the villagers cast their votes. Singh comments out of frustration that he did not want polling to be conducted in an area that was only secured by government forces 6 months ago, mentioning that there are still more landmines than men. He tells Newton that he doesn't want to lose any more troops, especially when the government cannot even supply them with night vision goggles that they have been requesting for 2 years. Newton keeps him at gunpoint even after the voting for the remaining two minutes of his official duty (till 3 pm). The CRPF troops then beat him up out of frustration.
The movie concludes with a shot of the area 6 months later, showing mining activity ongoing, the Chief of security is shown shopping and indulging his wife and daughter over a bottle of olive oil. Newton is shown in his office keeping up with his old ways before a visit by the local election officer Malko (Anjali Patil) and they agree to have tea but as per rules followed by Newton in the lunch time.
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