Voted or Wasted

The election machinery in the booth itself targets you in a way to extract the desired result.

My experience today at the polling booth bears testimony to this targetting.
I am in Worli-182 segment. I went to the polling booth at The Indian Medical Association. There were two seperate polling booths - one in the grounds in a cloth and bamboo shamiana and another similar one in the foyer of the association bldg.

The first thing that struck me was the absence of any candidates list which is mandatorily required to be put up outside every polling station. . I raised this point with the staff on duty outside. They countered with ",Don't you know the candidates standing from here?" I told them I need to reconfirm and isn't it supposed to be here? To which the male of the pair of the election staff on duty outside, opened an app on his mobile and showed me the list of candidates in our constituency. I swiped through it thanked him and went into the booth

After ID verification, I posed the same question to the officer on election duty. His reply was more interesting. He said it was behind the police officer on the side wall of the polling booth. When I came out and searched for it I did not find it. But be that as may. What transpired inside is most crucial to the evm system of exercising our franchise.  (I am skipping my two interactions with the police officer on duty, as I believe or want to believe that they are appointed with an oath of allegiance to the Principles contained in the Indian Constitution, to protect the citizens and uphold the law)

After getting my left hand index finger inked, I went into the polling booth. I selected my button and kept it pressed a wailing  beep emanating.
.Just then the lady polling officer called out and said something. As a reflex action I removed my finger from the button and waited for the VVPAT slip to come out out. She asked me if I had pressed the blue button. I said yes. I then asked her where is the VVPAT slip. She mumbled something about it not being there signalling to me that the voting process was completed. I was dazed as I left the polling station,  not at all satisfied that my vote was valid and successfully cast