Plot

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. Newton's parents want him to get married to a girl who comes with a rich dowry, but he refuses as the girl is not properly educated and is only 16 years old. Newton says that as per the rules, the girl should at least be an adult, before they get married.

He is sent on election duty by Election Instructor (Sanjay Mishra) to a Naxal-controlled town in the conflict-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh, India, when one of the main duty officers there is found to be facing heart problems who refuses to go into a Nazal infested area for the fear of his life. Election Instructor tells Newton is arrogant about his honesty. He counsels Newton that he should focus on his work and the country will progress by itself and that it is not necessary for him to treat all ills of society.

The mineral rich jungles of Chhattisgarh are a base for communist guerrillas, also known as Naxals or Maoists. Their aim is to topple the government through armed revolution. This war has been going on for 3 decades. Local politicians who decide to contest the elections are brazenly shot down as they travel through the Naxal controlled areas. The elections cost roughly Rs 30,000 Crores; 84 Crore people vote at almost 90 Lakhs voting booths.

Newton is faced with the apathy of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) headed by Assistant Commandant Aatma 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. There is also the looming fear of guerrilla attacks by communist rebels, and he tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the odds stacked against him. Newton throws the rule book at Aatma 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 Aatma Singh & his troops treat any local as Naxals and has complete disregard for any human life. Newton also writes up a report on Aatma's mistreatment of Block Local Officer, an Adivasi by the name of Malko. Aatma 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. When one of the villagers enters the polling booth, he is bewildered by the voting machine and does not understand how to operate it.

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 tells them that the 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). So while they vote for their favorite symbol, instead of politicians they have never heard about, 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. Aatma Singh is shown shopping in civilian dress with his wife and daughter during holidays, suggesting he is humane and conditions in Naxal-affected areas made him a dispassionate and cynical person. Newton is shown in his office wearing a neck brace for his injury from the beating but otherwise happy, and keeping with his old ways. He is visited by the local election officer Malko (Anjali Patil) who asks him what happened after she left as she is unaware of the events and Newton asks her to tell everything over tea, but only after five minutes, when Newton's scheduled lunch break begins.