EC Slams State for Non-Compliance on Five Key Directives; WhatsApp Use Defended

• The Election Commission (EC) sent a letter to the Chief Secretary, citing the state's failure to implement five crucial directives despite repeated instructions.
• Directives not followed include filing FIRs against EROs/AEROs, suspending a Basirhat AERO, withdrawing transfer orders for Electoral Roll Observers, and appointing SDOs as EROs and Returning Officers.
• The EC has demanded a compliance report from the Chief Secretary by Monday, 3 PM.
• The CEO's office defended the use of WhatsApp for communicating instructions to district officials for SIR work, stating it's for convenience and not irregular, countering CM Mamata Banerjee's 'WhatsApp Commission' remark.
• Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) case to the Supreme Court, which has issued a notice to the EC and will hear the case again on Monday.