Saturday, March 18 2006 16:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: With the Election Commission top brass scheduled here next week to look into poll preparations for the West Bengal assembly elections, veteran CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu today (Mar 18 2006) remarked it was 'unprecedented'.

"This has never happened before," Basu told sources on the Election Commission's role in removing a huge number of bogus voters from electoral rolls, with EC observers visiting the state thrice since January.

"All past elections under the Left Front regime has been held in a free and fair manner. Even the EC gave certificates to that effect after every election. Even (Trinamool Congress chief) Mamata Banerjee had said after 2001 polls that she was going to win," Basu who attended a meeting of the CPI(M) state committee said.

The full Election Commission comprising CEC B B Tandon will visit poll-bound West Bengal for two days starting March 21.

On the visit of the EC team, Basu said "What will I say? They will come, see and return."

Basu said "I heard today that many names were being deleted from the electoral rolls as being those of Bangladeshis. We will have to look into this. But this has occurred in small pockets."