West Bengal’s political landscape is shaped by a deep and persistent social–psychological divide between two broad formations commonly described as Bhadralok and Bhaktlok. The Bhadralok represent a historically dominant, urban, and culturally influential elite that continues to exercise disproportionate control over intellectual, cultural, and moral narratives, even as its direct electoral relevance has steadily declined. Their power today lies less in vote mobilisation and more in shaping legitimacy—deciding which political forces are culturally acceptable and which are framed as threats to Bengal’s identity.