Some leaders of a fledgling apolitical umbrella organisation of Buddhists said in the presence of senior Trinamul leaders on Saturday that they would stand by Mamata Banerjee in the state polls.

The move, party insiders said, is an attempt to consolidate support for Trinamul from among the community.

Around 14 lakh Buddhists reside in north Bengal and their support can help any political party earn an extra edge in a closely contested election.

On Saturday, over 5,000 Buddhists, including monks, took out a rally in Siliguri, which ended in Baghajatin Park with a public meeting.

The event was hosted by West Bengal Buddhist Cell with help from the refugee cell of Trinamul. A Trinamul leader said some leaders of the refugee cell of the party were instrumental in creating this new platform for Buddhists.

“Mamata Banerjee and her government have done a lot for us. She introduced monthly pensions for our lamas (monks), constituted development boards for many hill communities for development among the poor, including Buddhists (who belong to many of these hill communities), and is working for the development of the hills. We want her to be the chief minister again and assert our support to her through this meeting,” said Nima Wangdi, a coordinator of the cell.

State ministers Gautam Deb, Aroop Biswas, Rabindranath Ghosh and Binoy Krishna Burman were present.

They lauded the decision made by members of the community and criticised what they termed the BJP’s aggressive politics.