Congress Sessions
Indian History · कांग्रेस अधिवेशन
📋Quick Overview
The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on 28 December 1885 at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay (Mumbai), by Allan Octavian Hume, a retired British civil servant. The first president was W.C. Bonnerjee. INC played the central role in India's freedom struggle. Its sessions at various cities passed landmark resolutions — from moderate demands for reforms to the final call for Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence) at Lahore in 1929. The Congress went through phases: Moderate Era (1885–1905), Extremist Era (1905–1919), and Gandhian Era (1920–1947).
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INC = 28 Dec 1885 | Founder: A.O. Hume | First President: W.C. Bonnerjee | Place: Bombay
📖Important Congress Sessions
| Year | Session City | President | Key Event / Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Bombay (1st session) | W.C. Bonnerjee | INC founded; 72 delegates attended |
| 1886 | Calcutta (2nd) | Dadabhai Naoroji | Dadabhai Naoroji was a PARSI leader, known as 'Grand Old Man of India'; Drain of Wealth theory |
| 1887 | Madras (3rd) | Badruddin Tyabji | FIRST Muslim president of INC. Badruddin Tyabji was a Bohra Muslim from Bombay. |
| 1888 | Allahabad (4th) | George Yule | FIRST English (non-Indian) president of INC |
| 1896 | Calcutta | Rahimtulla Sayani | Vande Mataram sung for FIRST time at Congress session |
| 1905 | Banaras | Gopal Krishna Gokhale | Swadeshi Movement resolution; Bengal Partition protest |
| 1906 | Calcutta | Dadabhai Naoroji | Word 'Swaraj' used for FIRST time; Dadabhai = 'Grand Old Man of India' |
| 1907 | Surat | Rash Behari Ghosh | SURAT SPLIT — Congress divided into Moderates & Extremists |
| 1916 | Lucknow | A.C. Mazumdar | Lucknow Pact — Congress-Muslim League united; Tilak-Jinnah role; Moderates & Extremists reunited |
| 1917 | Calcutta | Annie Besant | FIRST woman president of INC (English) |
| 1920 | Nagpur | C. Vijayaraghavachariar | Non-Cooperation Movement approved; Congress reorganized on LINGUISTIC basis; new constitution adopted; goal changed to 'Swaraj' |
| 1924 | Belgaum | Mahatma Gandhi | Gandhi was president ONLY ONCE (Belgaum session) |
| 1925 | Kanpur | Sarojini Naidu | FIRST Indian woman president of INC |
| 1929 | Lahore | Jawaharlal Nehru | PURNA SWARAJ resolution; 26 Jan 1930 declared Independence Day; tricolor flag hoisted on Ravi river bank |
| 1931 | Karachi | Sardar Patel | Fundamental Rights & Economic Policy resolution; Gandhi-Irwin Pact endorsed |
| 1938 | Haripura | Subhas Chandra Bose | Bose elected president; National Planning Committee formed |
| 1939 | Tripuri | Subhas Chandra Bose | Bose re-elected defeating Gandhi's candidate Pattabhi Sitaramayya; later resigned |
📝Moderate vs Extremist Leaders
📝"First / Only" — Congress Facts
- •FIRST President: W.C. Bonnerjee (1885, Bombay)
- •FIRST Muslim President: Badruddin Tyabji (1887, Madras)
- •FIRST English/European President: George Yule (1888, Allahabad)
- •FIRST Woman President: Annie Besant (1917, Calcutta)
- •FIRST Indian Woman President: Sarojini Naidu (1925, Kanpur)
- •Gandhi was president ONLY once: Belgaum 1924
- •Youngest President: Abul Kalam Azad (1923, at age 35)