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

Defection

The correct answer is option (4) - Defection

The phrase 'aya ram, gaya ram' gained prominence in India's political discourse, illustrating the trend of frequent party-switching by legislators. Translated literally, the phrase means 'Ram came, Ram went'. This saying originated from a remarkable instance of party-switching performed by Gaya Lal, an MLA in Haryana, in 1967. In a span of just two weeks, he changed his political allegiance three times—shifting from the Congress to the United Front, back to Congress, and then, astonishingly, back to the United Front within a mere nine hours.

An important aspect of post-1967 politics was the significant influence of defections in shaping the formation and dissolution of governments within various Indian states. Defection refers to the act of an elected representative leaving the political party under whose banner they were elected and subsequently affiliating with a different party. In the aftermath of the 1967 general elections, the emergence of breakaway Congress legislators played a pivotal role in the establishment of non-Congress governments in three states, namely Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. This period was marked by continuous shifts in political allegiances and affiliations, leading to the popular phrase 'Aya Ram, Gaya Ram'.