Defection means-
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → An elected representative leaves his party and joins another party
Option (1) An elected representative leaves his political party — Incorrect. Leaving the party is only one half of defection; the other half is joining another party, and this option leaves it out.
Option (2) An elected representative leaves his party and joins another party — Correct. Defection means an elected representative leaves the party on whose symbol he/she was elected and joins another party. After the 1967 general election, such breakaway Congress legislators helped to install non-Congress governments in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Option (3) An elected representative leaves his political party but does not join another party — Incorrect. A representative who leaves the party without joining another has not made the move from one party to another that the word defection describes.
Option (4) An elected representative joins both the parties — Incorrect. A legislator cannot belong to two parties at the same time; defection is a change of party.
NCERT (2026-27): “Defection … Another important feature of the politics after the 1967 election was the role played by defections in the making and unmaking of governments in the States. Defection means an elected representative leaves the party on whose symbol he/she was elected and joins another party. After the 1967 general election, the breakaway Congress legislators played an important role in installing non-Congress governments in three States - Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.…” |