Warning: Spoiler alert
Panchayat Season 3, unlike the previous installments of the series, took a more violent turn, with the characters engaging in fist-fights and shootouts. While the previous seasons focused on the beauty of Phulera, Season 3 cast light on the violent side of rural India.
In the final episode of the season, titled Hamla, we see the villagers deceitfully purchasing the Vidhayak's horse by sending Parameshwar's son-in-law Ganesh. This enrages the MLA who brings his men and guns to attack Phulera. The villagers gather their sticks and guns to defend themselves. The Vidhayak is then convinced to back off by a senior politician, following which the two groups fire shots in the air to vent out their anger. The MLA then reluctantly leaves the village.
The next sequence is set 15 days later, when the protagonist, Abhishek Tripathi, leaves for Varanasi for his CAT exam. Pradhanji, Prahlad and Vikas arrive with Abhishek at the bus stop to see him off. As the bus approaches, two bike-borne men, brandishing guns, fire at them. All four of them hide in the bushes to escape the bullets. When the attackers takes a U-turn, they force Abhishek to board the bus.
The trio then runs into a nearby building to hide from the gunmen but they are eventually caught and the one of the men shoot at Pradhanji's shoulders.
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The next scene shows Abhishek arriving at a hospital with his friend Aditya. Rinki tells him her father is out of danger while Prahlad asks him to calm down and advises him to do nothing impulsive. Abhishek says everyone knows who tipped off their location, hinting it was Bhushan. Enraged, he goes downstairs while Prahlad and Vikas follow him to pacify him.
Then the MLA and his men arrive at the hospital along with Bhushan and his sidekicks. Abhishek stops them from going in, asking if they have come to attack them again. The MLA says he was not behind the firing and that if he wanted to do so, Pradhanji would be dead by now. Bhushan also points out that why would the Vidhayak do such a thing, with just two weeks left for elections.
Then the MLA says maybe the Pradhan himself might have planned the attack to get sympathy votes and win the elections. An irate Abhishek slaps Bhushan, following which both sides attack each other with sticks and canes.
All of them end up in the police station with both groups made to sit on the floor with their hands tied with ropes. Abhishek's friend Aditya asks him if he will get admission in IIM if a police case is registered against him. We also see the DM announcing panchayat elections and warning of strict action against those indulging in violence.
The BDO asks the SHO who ordered the hit on Pradhanji and the latter says it needs to be investigated, as they both look at the MLA and Bhushan. The facial expressions of the MLA and Bhushan show that any case against them, even if they are not behind the attack, could impact their prospects in the upcoming elections. The MLA is set to contest in Ballia constituency in the assembly byelection necessitated by his resignation following a police case. And Bhushan is contesting in the panchayat elections.
If this is the case, the next season could see Pradhanji and the MLA going for a truce and withdrawing their complaints against each other so that Abhishek's potential IIM admission and the candidatures of the MLA and Bhushan are not impacted. Both sides will also keep no stones unturned to find out who ordered the hit on Pradhanji ahead of the elections.
Will the MLA build the road in Phulera to support Bhushan? Will that be enough for them to defeat Pradhanji? Will Abhishek find the courage to express his love for Rinki? And who will win the elections? For the answers, we have to wait and watch out for Panchayat Season 4, which director Deepak Kumar Mishra said is already in the works. He added that they are planning a Season 5 too.
