The expression Aya Ram, Gaya Ram is related to the issue of

The correct answer is Option (4) → Defection

Option (1) Casteism — Incorrect. Casteism means judging or favouring people by their caste, for example voting for or appointing someone only because he belongs to one’s own caste. ‘Aya Ram, Gaya Ram’ describes legislators changing their party, which has no link with caste.

Option (2) Anti Congressism — Incorrect. Before the 1967 elections, opposition parties with different programmes and ideologies came together in anti-Congress fronts; the socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia called this strategy ‘non-Congressism’. It is about parties joining hands against the Congress.

Option (3) Syndicate — Incorrect. The ‘Syndicate’ was the informal name given to a group of Congress leaders who were in control of the party’s organisation.

Option (4) Defection — Correct. Defection means an elected representative leaves the party on whose symbol he/she was elected and joins another party. The constant realignments and shifting political loyalties after the 1967 elections gave rise to the expression ‘Aya Ram, Gaya Ram’.

Note 1: The concept in Option (1), ‘casteism’, is not in the NCERT books – the pre-rationalised, 2023-24, 2025-26 or 2026-27 edition; it is explained here for the benefit of the students.

Note 2: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.