The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word SARPANCH
S
A
R
P
A
N
C
H
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
Crossword Answer definitions
SARPANCH noun- The elected head of a panchayat (village government) in Bangladesh, India, or Pakistan.