What India’s Most Backward District Wants From the Election

Nuh, part of the Mewat region and the only Muslim-majority district in the northern Indian state of Haryana, figured at the bottom of the list of the country’s 101 most backward districts released by the Indian government’s policy think tank, Niti Ayog, last year. Now that the general elections are underway, voters in this district say little has changed as the government remains largely absent. While nationalism and tensions with Pakistan are dominating media’s election coverage, voters here are seeking to draw attention to the lack of access to water, healthcare, and roads.