NEW DELHI: On the face of it, victory in two seats in a 200-member assembly may not appear significant. But for the beleaguered Left, an ideology that faces questions over its political relevance, the victories in the unchartered territories of Bikaner and Hanumangarh districts in Rajasthan serve both as a much-needed booster shot as well as a reminder that some serious strategising is in order.In Rajasthan, farmers bearing the trademark red flag and demanding electricity and water, freedom from indebtedness and remunerative prices for their produce appear to have done the trick for CPM. Banking on its ability to drive mass movements, the party led a successful ‘kisan andolan’ bagging two of the 28 seats it contested and polled 4.32 lakh votes totalling a vote-share of 1.2%.The victories, which the party attributed to growing discontent and anger among people against the Modi government’s policies, also saw party insiders dwell on alternative ‘pro-people’ policies, which they argue has been the reason for CPM’s success in Rajasthan.The sticking point, though, may boil down to the divisions within the Left with even CPI and CPM, while acknowledging the common cause of defeating the communal forces, remain divided on their working relations with principal opposition Congress. In Telangana , for instance, CPI and CPM contested separately, one siding with the Congress-led Maha Kutami, and the second joining the BSP-led Bahujan Left Front, a combination of 28 parties, some of who did not even contest the polls.The differences notwithstanding, party sources said the victories in Rajasthan have affirmed the Left’s ability to act as a rallying forces for mass movements. “There is a need, however, to re-strategise over how to strengthen the Left movement electorally. Congress, as a pan-India secular party has shown it has taken steps to be flexible towards its partners and be realistic in its approach. Now, it is the Left’s turn to reciprocate,” a Left leader said.