Explore the comprehensive list of Indian National Congress sessions and additional information on our website. Stay informed about the party’s history and key events.
Introduction
- The Indian National Congress (INC) was formed on – 28 December 1885.
- Father of Indian National Congress – retired Civil Service officer Allan Octavian Hume.
- The Viceroy of India at the time of the formation of the Indian National Congress – Lord Dufferin.
- Lord Dufferin said that the Indian National Congress represents only microscopic minorities.
- The Indian National Congress conducted its first session in Bombay from 28 to 31 December 1885.
- Originally the first session of the INC was proposed at Poona, but because of an outbreak of plague in Poona, the venue was shifted to Bombay.
Indian National Congress Sessions list
| Session | Place | Date | President |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bombay | 1885 | Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee |
| 2nd | Calcutta | 1886 | Dadabhai Naoroji |
| 3rd | Madras | 1887 | Badruddin Tyabji |
| 4th | Allahabad | 1888 | George Yule |
| 5th | Bombay | 1889 | Sir William Wedderburn |
| 6th | Calcutta | 1890 | Pherozeshah Mehta |
| 7th | Nagpur | 1891 | P. Ananda Charlu |
| 8th | Allahabad | 1892 | Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee |
| 9th | Lahore | 1893 | Dadabhai Naoroji |
| 10th | Madras | 1894 | Alfred Webb |
| 11th | Pune | 1895 | Surendranath Banerjee |
| 12th | Calcutta | 1896 | Rahimatullah M. Sayani |
| 13th | Amraoti | 1897 | C. Sankaran Nair |
| 14th | Madras | 1898 | Ananda Mohan Bose |
| 15th | Lucknow | 1899 | Romesh Chunder Dutt |
| 16th | Lahore | 1900 | N.G. Chandavarkar |
| 17th | Calcutta | 1901 | Dinshaw Eduljee Wacha |
| 18th | Ahmedabad | 1902 | Surendranath Banerjee |
| 19th | Madras | 1903 | Lal Mohan Ghosh |
| 20th | Bombay | 1903 | Sir Henry Cotton |
| 21st | Banaras | 1905 | Gopal Krishna Gokhale |
| 22nd | Calcutta | 1906 | Shri Dadabhai Naoroji |
| 23rd (Suspended) | Surat | 1907 | Rash Behari Ghosh |
| 23rd | Madras | 1908 | Rash Behari Ghosh |
| 24th | Lahore | 1909 | Madan Mohan Malaviya |
| 25th | Allahabad | 1910 | Sir William Wedderburn |
| 26th | Calcutta | 1911 | Bishan Narayan Dar |
| 27th | Bankipore | 1912 | Shri Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar |
| 28th | Karachi | 1913 | Nawab Syed Mohammed Bahadur |
| 29th | Madras | 1914 | Bhupendra Nath Bose |
| 30th | Bombay | 1915 | Satyendra Prasanna Sinha |
| 31st | Lucknow | 1916 | Ambica Charan Mazumdar |
| 32nd | Calcutta | 1917 | Annie Besant |
| 33rd | Delhi | 1918 | Madan Mohan Malaviya |
| (Special Session) | Bombay | 1918 | Romesh Chunder Dutt |
| 34th | Amritsar | 1919 | Motilal Nehru |
| 35th | Nagpur | 1920 | C. Vijayaraghavachariar |
| 36th | Ahmedabad | 1921 | Hakim Ajmal Khan (Acting President for C.R. Das) |
| 37th | Gaya | 1922 | Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das |
| Special | Delhi | 1923 | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad |
| 39th | Belgaum | 1924 | M.K. Gandhi |
| 40th | Cawnpore | 1925 | Mrs. Sarojini Naidu |
| 41st | Gawahati | 1926 | S. Srinivasa Iyengar |
| 42nd | Madras | 1927 | M.A. Ansari |
| 43rd | Calcutta | 1929 | Motilal Nehru |
| 44th | Lahore | 1929 | Pt Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 45th | Karachi | 1931 | Vallabbhai J. Patel |
| 47th | Calcutta | 1933 | Mrs. Nellie Sengupta |
| 48th | Bombay | 1934 | Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
| 49th | Lucknow | 1936 | Pt Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 50th | Faizpur | 1937 | Pt Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 51st | Haripura | 1938 | Subhash Chandra Bose |
| 52nd | Tripura | 1939 | Subhash Chandra Bose |
| 53rd | Ramgarh | 1940 | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad |
| ….. | ….. | 1941- 45 | No session because of arrest |
| 54th | Meerut | 1946 | J.B. Kripalani |
| 55th | Jaipur | 1948 | Pattabhi Sitaramayya |
Indian National Congress Sessions with important points
| Session | Year | Place | President | Important Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 25 December, 1885 | Bombay | WC Banerjee |
• General Secretary – A. O. Hume • Dadabbhai Naoroji gave the name INC • Exact Venue – Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay • Number of delegates – 72 |
| 2nd | 1886 | Kolkata | Dadabhai Naoroji |
• Merger of National Congress and Indian National Association • Number of delegates – 436 |
| 3rd | 1887 | Madras | Badruddin Tyabji | • First Muslim President of Indian National Congress • Number of delegates – 1248 • the First appeal to Muslims to join |
| 4th | 1888 | Allahabad | George Yule | • First English president of the Indian National Congress |
| 5th | 1889 | Bombay | William Wedderburn | • Second English president of Indian National Congress after George Yule |
| 7th | 1891 | Nagpur | P. Anand Charlu | • The word “National” was added to Congress. |
| 12th | 1896 | Calcutta | Rahimtulla M Sayani | • National Song Vande Mataram was sung for the first time. |
| 15th | 1899 | Lucknow | Romesh Chunder Dutt | • Demand for permanent fixation of land revenue |
| 22nd | 1906 | Kolkata | Dadabhai Naoroji | The word ‘Swaraj’ was used the first time. |
| 23rd (Suspended) | 1907 | Surat | Rasbihari Ghosh | • Surat Split – Indian National Congress split into two parts – Moderates and Extremists. |
| 23rd | 1908 | Madras | Rasbihari Ghosh | • Formation of the Constitution of the Indian National Congress |
| 24th | 1909 | Lahore | Madan Mohan Malaviya | • Disapproval over separate electorates. |
| 26th | 1911 (27 Dec.) | Kolkata | Bishan Narayan Das | • Jana Gana Mana sung for the first time |
| 31st | 1916 | Lucknow | Ambica Charan Mazumdar |
• Lucknow Pact signed • Joint session with the Muslim League • Reunite of Extremist and Moderate. |
| 32nd | 1917 | Calcutta | Annie Besant | • First woman President of Indian National Congress. |
| Special Session | 1918 | Bombay | Syed Hasan Imam | • The session was convened to deliberate the contentious Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms Scheme |
| 34th | 1919 | Amritsar | Motilal Nehru |
• Jallianwala Bagh massacre strongly condemned. • The procession was jointly led by the Congress President, Motilal Nehru, and the Muslim League President, Hakim Ajmal Khan. |
| 35th | 1920 | Nagpur | C Vijaya Raghavachariar |
• Finally passed the Non-cooperation resolution. • Formation of Congress Working Committee (CWC) – 15 members |
| 37th | 1922 | Gaya | Chittaranjan Das | • The Swarajya Party formed |
| special session | 1923 | Delhi | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad |
• Indian National Congress decided to establish the All India Khadi Board. • Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was the youngest president of the Indian National Congress |
| 39th | 1924 | Belgaum | Mahatma Gandhi | • Only session presided by Mahatma Gandhi. |
| 40th | 1925 | Kanpur | Sarojini Naidu | • First Indian woman president of Indian National Congress. |
| 41st | 1926 | Gauhati | S Srinivasa Iyengar | • Wearing Khadi was made compulsory for its workers. |
| 42nd | 1927 | Madras | M A Ansari |
• Adopted a significant resolution against the use of Indian troops in China, Mesopotamia, and Persia. • Proposals to Boycott Simon Commission. • Independence resolution was passed for the 1st time. |
| 43rd | 1928 | Calcutta | Motilal Nehru | • First All India Youth Congress was established. |
| 44th | 1929 | Lahore | Jawaharlal Nehru |
• Resolution for Poorna Swaraj. • Civil disobedience movement for complete independence to be launched • 26 Jan 1930 to be observed as ‘Independence Day. |
| 45th | 1931 | Karachi | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel |
• Resolutions on Fundamental Rights. • National Economic Policy was passed. • To endorse the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. • Protection of language, culture & script of minorities. • Universal adult franchise • Free and compulsory education • Gandhi-Irwin Pact endorsed • Gandhiji nominated to represent INC in 2nd Round Table Conference |
| 30th | 1932 | Delhi | R Amritlal |
• Congress boycotted the third Round Table Conference. • Poona Pact (24 Sept. 1932) |
| 48th | 1934 | Bombay | Rajendra Prasad | • Formation of Congress Socialist Party |
| 50th | 1937 | Faizpur | Jawaharlal Nehru |
• First session to be held in a village • INC and All India Kisan Sabha joint session • Agrarian policy added to Congress manifesto |
| 51st | 1938 | Haripura (Gujarat) | Subhas Chandra Bose | • National Planning Committee set up under Nehru |
| 52nd | 1939 | Tripuri | Subhas Chandra Bose (Re-elected) |
• Tripuri is a small village in Madhya Pradesh. • Subhas Chandra Bose becomes President by defeating Pattabhi Sitaramaiyya. • Formation of Forwarding bloc within the congress. |
| 53rd | 1940 | Ramgarh | Abul Kalam Azad |
• Decision was taken to start Individual Satyagraha. • Youngest President. |
| 54th | 1946 | Meerut | J. B. Kripalani | • First session before independence |
| 55th | 1948 | Jaipur | Pattabhi Sitaramayya | • First session after independence |
Important Fact about the President of the Indian National Congress
➧ First President of Indian National Congress.
☛ Womesh Chunder Banerjee
➧ First Parsi president of the Indian National Congress.
☛ Dadabhai Naoroji
➧ First Muslim President of the Indian National Congress.
☛ Syed Badruddin Tyabji
➧ First English President of the Indian National Congress.
☛ George Yule
➧ Second English president of the Indian National Congress after George Yule.
☛ William Wedderburn
➧ First Woman President of the Indian National Congress.
☛ Annie Besant
➧ First Indian Woman President of the Indian National Congress.
☛ Sarojini Naidu
➧ Youngest President of the Indian National Congress.
☛ Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
• He was elected as president at the age of 35.
➧ President of 1948, Jaipur session (First session after independence)
☛ Pattabhi Sitaramayya
➧ President of 1946, Meerut session (First session before independence)
☛ J. B. Kripalani
Indian National Congress sessions with major facts
➧ Dadabhai Naoroji became the president of the Indian National Congress.
☛ 3 times
🔶 Session List
- 1886 – Calcutta
- 1893 – Lahore
- 1906 – Calcutta
➧ Pt Jawaharlal Nehru became the president of the Indian National Congress.
☛ 7 times
🔶 Session List
- 1928 – Kolkata
- 1929 – Lahore
- 1936 – Lucknow
- 1937 – Faizpur
- 1951 – Delhi
- 1953 – Hyderabad
- 1954 – Kalyani
➧ Maximum sessions of the Indian National Congress were held in
☛ Calcutta (9 Times)
➧ The First Session of the Indian National Congress was held in a Village.
☛ Faizpur, 1937, 50th Session (In Maharashtra)
➧ Second Session of the Indian National Congress, which was held in a Village.
☛ Haripura (Gujarat), 1938, 51st Session
➧ Only session presided by Mahatma Gandhi.
☛ The Belgaum session, 1924
➧ Subhas Chandra Bose becomes the president of the Indian National Congress in
☛ Haripura Sessions (Gujarat), 1938
All Sessions of the Indian National Congress MAP
Important Event of the Sessions of the Indian National Congress
National Song – Vande Mataram
☛ The song Vande Mataram was composed in the Sanskrit language.
☛ And It was composed by Bankimchandra Chatterji.
☛ It has an equal status with the national anthem Jana-Gana-Mana.
☛ It was sung in the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.
The word ‘Swaraj’ used first time
☛ The word ‘Swaraj’ was first used by Dadabhai Naouraji in the Congress session held in Calcutta in 1906.
☛ Swaraj means self-governance or ‘Self-rule’
☛ It was used synonymously with “home-rule” by Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati and later on by Mohandas Gandhi.
☛ Dadabhai Navroji claimed that he had learned the word Swaraj from the Satyarth Prakash of Dayananda Saraswati.
The Surat Split
☛ The Surat Split was the splitting of the Indian National Congress into two groups at the Surat session in 1907.
1. The Extremists and the
2. Moderates
☛ 1885-1905 was known as the period of the moderates.
☛ The Moderates used petitions, meetings, resolutions, pamphlets, memoranda, and delegations to voice their demands to the British government.
☛ Their method has been called 3P – Prayers, Petition, and Protest.
☛ On the other hand, the Extremists believed in self-reliance as a weapon against domination.
The National anthem song “Jana-Gana-Mana”
☛ The song Jana-gana-mana, was composed originally in Bengali.
☛ The song was composed by Rabindranath Tagore.
☛ It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the national anthem of India on 24 January 1950.
☛ It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.
☛ The complete song consists of five stanzas.
☛ The first stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem
☛ The playing time of the full version of the national anthem is approximately 52 seconds
Non-cooperation resolution
☛ Gandhi announced the launching of the Non-Cooperation Movement in August 1920.
☛ In December 1920, Congress met in the Nagpur Session and adopted the Non-Cooperation Movement.
☛ Originally Gandhiji wished to pass the resolution of the Non-Cooperation Movement in the Calcutta session.
The merger of the Indian National Congress and the Indian National Association
☛ The Indian Association was founded by Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose in 1876.
☛ Later the Indian Association merged with the Indian National Congress in 1886.
Lucknow Pact
☛ The Lucknow Pact was an agreement between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League (AIML).
☛ Through the pact, the two parties agreed to allow representatives of religious minorities in the provincial legislatures.
Resolution for Purna Swaraj
☛ The Indian National Congress, on 19 December 1929, passed the historic ‘Purna Swaraj’ – (total independence) resolution – at its Lahore session.
☛ A public declaration was made on 26 January 1930 – a day which the Congress Party urged Indians to celebrate as ‘Independence Day.
Previous Year Questions about the Sessions of the Indian National Congress
1. Who is called the ‘Father of Indian National Congress’? (WBCS Prelims – 2020)
A. MK Gandhi
B. A.O Hume
C. B.G Tilak
D. SN Banerjee
2. Indian National Congress was founded by _ (WBCS Prelims – 2019)
A. Motilal Nehru
B. SN Banerjee
C. B.G Tilak
D. A.O Hume
3. At which session of the INC was “Vande Mataram” sung for the first time? (WBCS Prelims – 2019)
A. 1920 session
B. 1906 session
C. 1896 session
D. 1922 session
4. The first session of the INC was presided by – (WBCS Prelims – 2019)
A. WC Banerjee
B. S.N Banerjee
C. Aurobindo Ghosh
D. Bipin Chandra Pal
5. In which session of Congress the demand of “Poorna Swaraj” was accepted as the aim of the Congress? (SSC Section Officer (Audit) Exam. 1997 )
A. Calcutta
B. Madras
C. Nagpur
D. Lahore
6. In which session of the Indian National Congress the tricolor flag was unfurled for the first time?
(SSC Section Officer 2003)
A. Calcutta Session, 1920
B. Annual Session of Congress in Nagpur, 1920
C. Lahore Congress, 1929
D. Haripura Congress Conference, 1938
7. Who is called the ‘Father of the Indian National Congress?
(SSC Tax Assistant 2005)
A. Mahatma Gandhi
B. A.O. Hume
C. Lokmanya Tilak
D. Surendra Nath Banerjee
8. Who was the first woman President of Congress? (SSC Tax Assistant 2006)
A. Mrs. Annie Besant
B. Mrs. Sarojini Naidu
C. Mrs. Nellie Sengupta
D. Aruna Asaf Ali
9. ‘Poorna Swaraj’ (Complete Independence) was declared to be the goal of the Indian National Congress in its Session of _ (SSC Section Officer (Commercial Audit Exam. 2006 )
A. Lucknow, 1916
B. Lahore, 1929
C. Tripuri, 1939
D. Lahore, 1940
10. After leaving the Congress, Subhash Chandra Bose formed __ in 1939
(SSC Tax Assistant 2007)
A. Socialist Bloc
B. Revolutionary Socialist Bloc
C. Forward Bloc
D. Socialist-Congress Bloc
11. The first General Secretary of the Indian National Congress was _ (SSC CPO Sub-Inspector 2007)
A. Dadabhai Naoroji
B. A.O. Hume
C. Ferozeshah Mehta
D. Badruddin Tyabji
12. The Indian National Congress had passed the famous resolution on “Non-Cooperation” in 1920 at its session held at _ (SSC CPO Sub-Inspector 2007)
A. Lucknow
B. Nagpur
C. Bombay
D. Calcutta
13. The Indian National Congress and the Muslim League came closer to each other in 1916 at
(SSC CPO Sub-Inspector 2007)
A. Lahore
B. Amritsar
C. Lucknow
D. Haripura
14. Who was the President of the Indian National Congress when the Mountbatten Plan of independence was accepted?
(SSC CGL Prelim 2008)
A. Jawaharlal Nehru
B. Sardar Patel
C. Maulana Azad
D. Acharya J. B. Kripalani
15. Who was the first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress?
(SSC CPO Sub-Inspector 2008)
A. Muhammed Ali Jinnah
B. Badruddin Tyabji
C. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
D. Abul Kalam Azad
16. The first woman President of the Indian National Congress was
(SSC CGL)
A. Kamala Devi Chattopadhyaya
B. Sarojini Naidu
C. Annie Besant
D. Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
FAQs about the sessions of the Indian National Congress
Answer: Karachi
• In 1931, the 45th session of the Indian National Congress was held in Karachi presided by Vallabbhai J. Patel.
Answer: Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay
• In the year 1885, the first session of the Indian National Congress was held at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay. (preceded by WC Banerjee)
Answer: Nagpur
• Preceded by- C. Vijayaraghavachariar
Answer: Subhash Chandra Bose
Answer: Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Answer: Vallabbhai J. Patel
Answer: Pattabhi Sitaramayya
Answer: The President of the first session of the Indian National Congress was Womesh Chandra Banerjee.
Answer: 1896, 12th session (Held in Calcutta and presided by Rahimtulla M Sayani)
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