Some villagers in Bijanbari block of Darjeeling have decided to “socially boycott” an elected gram panchayat member who recently switched over to the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) from the BJP.

Sources said a section of villagers from Naya Nor, some 35km from Darjeeling, held a meeting on Saturday evening and decided to “socially boycott” Ratan Subba, who won the recent gram panchayat election as a BJP candidate but decided to join the BGPM.

"We are hurt by his decision to join the BGPM. He has gone against the voice of the majority and this is why we have decided to socially boycott Ratan Subba unless he returns (to the BJP) and apologises,” a source quoted a villager announcing the decision in Saturday's meeting.

This is the first time that a “social boycott” call has been made in the hills over the rural election results. Social boycott in the hills means that villagers will not visit the house of Subba, even if there is a bereavement in his family or marriage or any other occasion, including medical emergencies. In extreme cases of boycott, local shopkeepers do not even sell their goods to family members.

The villagers said that Subba had taken the decision to join the BGPM without consulting them and was unreachable on his phone at the moment.

The Telegraph spoke to Subba, a businessman, who said he was residing in Siliguri for the past three days. “I sensed something was being hatched against me and hence decided to come here,” said Subba.

The leader said that he has been offered the post of the panchayat pradhan by the BGPM but blamed the BJP for his decision to switch sides. "Some BJP leaders and cadres worked for me during elections but some did not help me at all and were least bothered about my election. This is why I started to dislike the BJP and joined the BGPM,” said Subba.

At the Naya Nor gram panchayat, the BGPM and Independents had won four seats each while the BJP had won one seat.

Subba sounded confident that the issue of social boycott would soon be resolved. “Once I reach the village I am confident of resolving this issue. Maybe a few elders will stay away but the youths will be with me. There is already talk of forming a new community group without some residents,” said Subba.

During the violent Gorkhaland agitation in 1986, rival parties would announce social boycotts in their strongholds.

However, this practice has vanished from the hills of late.

On Sunday, leaders of the BGPM and TMC also issued statements condemning the “social boycott” call.

"We will take legal recourse against this decision,” said Satish Pokhrel, vice-president of the BGPM and an elected GTA Sabha member.