Akbarpur Majra: A village that votes like no other
Just beyond the Yamuna, where Delhi meets Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, lies Akbarpur Majra — a village that feels like it belongs to another era. The morning air carries the scent of mustard blossoms, the roads wind through yellow fields, and the only sounds breaking the morning silence are the distant hum of tractors and the chatter of elders gathered at the chaupal over hookah.
The place is reminiscent of how Hindi cinema imagines an idyllic rural setting – but this is modern-day Delhi. And a part of it that votes with an enthusiasm, setting an example for the more urbanised sections of the city.
In the previous Delhi assembly elections in 2020, this village on the city’s outskirts recorded a 87.37% voter turnout — over 24 percentage points higher than the citywide average. And as elections approach, the village is preparing to do it again.
Locals say a sense of close-knit community, familial relationships, internal rivalries, and a sense of pride, drive the high turnouts in this area located under Narela assembly constituency.
At the centre of the excitement is the village’s polling booth, located inside the primary municipal school. Over the past few days, officials have been busy installing CCTV cameras and checking electronic voting machines at Booth # 248 – the city’s most polled booth.
But the real force behind the high voter turnout isn’t infrastructure, it’s the people themselves.
Here, out of the 657 registered voter, 574 showed up to vote.
“Everyone knows every other family here. Voting is not just a right, it’s an obligation. The old tradition of elders deciding how the family votes may have faded, but the idea that not voting is unacceptable remains as strong as ever,” said Ranbir Singh, 82, a village elder wrapped tightly in a brown woollen shawl.
The enthusiasm in Akbarpur Majra isn’t new.
Elections after elections, this village, part of Narela assembly constituency, has led the charts, with neighbouring villages in the Bakhtawarpur region — Palla, Tigipur, Tajpur — following close behind.
Satyaveer Singh, a 74-year-old retired DTC employee, believes that the deep-rooted connection between families drives people to vote. “It is largely because of the sense of community in the village. All families are like relatives of extended family, and if you don’t vote people hold a grouse,” he added.
On the flip side of the coin, there’s another factor at play — intercommunity rivalries.
Named after Mughal king Akbar, the village has a mix of Jats, Pandits with a fairly sizeable population of Muslim families as well migrants.
Besides the main village, the booth has two adjacent colonies – Om Vihar and Majra (Bhure Sayyed) Colony. Villagers say that the Lal Dora area of the roughly four-century-old village is spread over 500 acres and has over 4,000 large households.
Islamuddin, 70, who has spent his entire life in the village, says that a large number of Muslim families is said to have left the village during Partition. “The village still derives its name from Akbar although the village is mostly occupied by Jat and Pandit families,” he added.
“Support for a candidate often comes down to caste loyalties. Every community wants to see their candidate win. The competition is fierce, and that drives up turnout,” said Purushottam Kumar, 78, an electrician who moved here 20 years ago.
Unlike many urban areas of Delhi, Akbarpur Majra is relatively affluent. The roads are well-paved, SUVs aren’t an uncommon sight, and land prices have soared in the last decade. Yet, some civic issues remain. Though potholes are rarity, the area lacks proper drainage which can be seen in the form of accumulated stagnant water in plots and low-lying areas.
“Drainage is a big problem. Water stagnates in low-lying areas. The community centre has sunk below road level and gets flooded,” says Shansar Khokhar, 58, a local booth worker.
“We don’t have any parks or open grounds where children can play or prepare for recruitment in armed forces. The villages saw development work during Sahib Singh Verma’s tenure, but have largely been neglected ever since,” he added.
Still, when polling day arrives, everything takes a back seat. The chaupal is abuzz with talk of politics, families walk to the polling booth together, and voters stand in long queues, just as they have for decades. “We will surpass everyone else yet again!” said Khokhar with a grin.
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Gopinath Bazar: The booth that barely votes
A strange story unfolds at polling Booth # 67 in Gopinath Bazar, elections after elections. Located deep in the heart of Delhi Cantonment, this booth has gained the notorious distinction of being the location with the worst polling numbers in the national capital.
In the last assembly elections, voter turnout stood at a dismal 1.16% — or only 13 of its 1,116 listed voters cast their ballots.
Set up inside St Martin’s School near a roundabout that has a proud “I Love Delhi Cantt” sign on it, the polling station serves the shopkeepers of Gopinath Bazar and the families of defence personnel stationed here.
Voting, for most of them, is an afterthought.
According to data by the Election Commission of India, the 10 polling stations with lowest turnouts in Delhi are all located in this Delhi Cantt assembly seat.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam School in Shastri Bazar (Booth # 47) at 3.9%, and Kendriya Vidyalaya Number 1 at Sadar Bazar (Booth # 29) at 6.1% join Gopinath Bazar in the bottom three.
To be fair, the problem isn’t just apathy — it’s also transience, according to locals.
Kailash Chand, 72-year-old, who runs an outlet in the British-era market, says that the Delhi Cantt has both civilians and defence sections. “The quarters allocated to defence personnel keep witnessing transfers and different postings. People don’t get their votes transferred often,” he said.
Delhi Cantt is also a world apart from the rest of the city when it comes to governance, which becomes a crucial factor, according to residents. Residents here are generally insulated from a city’s governance since the area is administered by the Delhi Cantonment Board, which means civic issues that plague other parts of the city are generally not experienced here.
The roads are well-maintained, sidewalks are walkable, green belts are landscaped, and basic needs are taken care of.
Some residents, however, expressed surprise when told that the turnout was less than 2%.
Rajesh Kumar, a local businessman who lives in the civilian area behind the Gopinath Bazar, says that people in civilian areas tend to vote, but even that isn’t enthusiastic participation.
“Civic issues that affect other parts of Delhi — bad roads, electricity outages, garbage — don’t exist here,” said Kumar. “We have no issues of the scale that can sway our vote. Our needs are largely taken care of by the Delhi Cantonment Board. We don’t have to rely on the local MLA to fix things. Our lives continue unaffected, no matter who wins,” he said.
“But less than 2%? That’s shocking!”
Gopinath Bazar’s two-story red-brick market, built in the Indo-British style, still carries echoes of a bygone era though most of its shops have been covered under layers of whitewash. The nearby St Martin’s Church, built in 1929, adds to the old-world charm.
But, as the years have passed, modern Delhi has encroached on its quiet order. Delhi Cantonment now has National Highway 8 passing through it ––connecting Delhi to Gurugram.
Perhaps the only issue bothering people here is the traffic and noise that the highway brings.
Suresh Singh, another resident of Gopinath Bazar, says that he has been living in the area since 1988. “It used to be peaceful. The traffic now is chaotic and this chaos has reached our doorsteps,” Singh said.
Raman Sinha, a retired naval officer and former resident of Delhi Cantonment, said that many serving defence officials registered as voters there are usually posted out of town, so they end up not voting.
“Defence personnel are frequently transferred and may often be transferred out while they are still registered as voters here. The deployment of security forces is also high during the election season, so most of the serving officials are on duty and are unable to vote despite the facility of postal ballots. These problems are common for most government services, which is why polling percentage is New Delhi area is also low,” Sinha said.
Yet, even these grievances don’t translate into votes. The detachment remains. On election day, while voters in Akbarpur Majra race to the booths, here, most will walk past polling stations without a second glance.
In a city where politics often consumes daily life, the polling stations at Akbarpur Majra and Gopinath Bazar exist at opposite extremes – a tale of two Delhis, playing out in the ballot box.