INC Sessions & Presidents
National Movement · INC अधिवेशन और अध्यक्ष
📋Quick Overview
The Indian National Congress held annual sessions that were major milestones in the freedom struggle. Each session is famous for either a historic resolution, a landmark decision, or a notable first. From the inaugural Bombay session of 1885 to the Lahore session of 1929 where Complete Independence was declared — these sessions shaped the course of Indian nationalism.
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Gandhi presided over only ONE INC session — the Belgaum session of 1924. Nehru presided over TWO sessions — 1929 Lahore (Poorna Swaraj) and 1936 Lucknow. Subhas Chandra Bose presided over Haripura (1938) and Tripuri (1939).
📖Landmark INC Sessions — Complete Table
| Year | Place | President | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Bombay | W.C. Bonnerjee | FIRST session; 72 delegates; founded by A.O. Hume |
| 1886 | Calcutta | Dadabhai Naoroji | Naoroji's first time as president |
| 1887 | Madras | Badruddin Tyabji | First Muslim president of INC |
| 1888 | Allahabad | George Yule | First English/British president of INC |
| 1896 | Calcutta | Rahimtulla M. Sayani | Bande Mataram sung for first time at an INC session (Tagore) |
| 1905 | Banaras | Gopal Krishna Gokhale | Anti-partition protest began; Swadeshi resolution passed |
| 1906 | Calcutta | Dadabhai Naoroji | First demand for 'Swaraj' — 'Swaraj as the goal of INC' |
| 1907 | Surat | Ras Bihari Ghosh | Famous Surat Split — Moderates vs Extremists; police intervened |
| 1916 | Lucknow | Ambika Charan Mazumdar | Lucknow Pact — INC + Muslim League; Moderates + Extremists reunited |
| 1920 | Nagpur | C. Vijayaraghavachariar | Non-Cooperation Movement adopted; Gandhi took over Congress fully |
| 1924 | Belgaum | Mahatma Gandhi | Gandhi's ONLY time as INC president |
| 1929 | Lahore | Jawaharlal Nehru | Poorna Swaraj (Complete Independence) declared; Jan 26 as Independence Day |
| 1931 | Karachi | Vallabhbhai Patel | Fundamental Rights + Economic Policy resolution (drafted by Nehru) |
| 1938 | Haripura | Subhas Chandra Bose | Bose's first presidency; National Planning Committee formed under Nehru |
| 1942 | Bombay | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad | Quit India Resolution passed (August 8, 1942) |