Legacy IAS · Bangalore · UPSC Prelims & Mains
Indian National Congress Sessions
1885 – 1947
Complete Database · Presidents · Key Resolutions · Mind Maps · MCQs · Era Analysis
Presided by Indians
Presided by Foreigners
Special Sessions
57
Total Sessions
49
Indian Presidents
7
Foreign Presidents
4
Special Sessions
26
Host Cities
◉ INC Sessions — Complete Mind Map
INC SESSIONS 1885–1947
Moderate Phase (1885–1905)
- 21 sessions held in this era
- 1885 Bombay: 1st session (Bonnerjee)
- 1896: Vande Mataram 1st sung
- 1905 Banaras: Swadeshi rising
- Methods: Petition, Prayer, Protest
- 4 foreign presidents in this era
Extremist Phase (1906–1919)
- 16 sessions (incl. 1 special)
- 1906: Swaraj declared as goal
- 1907 Surat: Congress SPLIT
- 1916: Lucknow Pact (reunion)
- 1917: Annie Besant — 1st woman
- Methods: Boycott, Passive Resistance
Gandhian Phase (1920–1947)
- 20 sessions (incl. 3 special)
- 1920 Nagpur: NCM ratified
- 1929 Lahore: Purna Swaraj
- 1931 Karachi: Fundamental Rights
- 1939 Tripuri: Bose vs Gandhi
- Methods: NCM, CDM, Quit India
Top Host Cities
- Calcutta — 10 sessions (most)
- Madras — 7 sessions
- Bombay — 6 sessions
- Lahore — 4 sessions
- Delhi — 3 sessions (all post-1918)
- Allahabad, Lucknow — 3 each
Foreign Presidents (7)
- 1888: George Yule (1st Englishman)
- 1889: William Wedderburn
- 1894: Alfred Webb (Irish MP)
- 1904: Henry Cotton (ICS)
- 1910: Wedderburn (2nd time)
- 1917: Annie Besant (1st woman)
- 1933: Nellie Sengupta
Special Sessions (4)
- 1918 Delhi: Montagu-Chelmsford
- 1920 Calcutta: NCM approved
- 1923 Delhi: Azad (youngest, 35)
- Called for urgent resolutions
★ Firsts & Records — UPSC Favourites
First Session
1885, Bombay — W.C. Bonnerjee
72 delegates; A.O. Hume organized; Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College
1st Muslim President
1887, Madras — Badruddin Tyabji
Broke communal barrier; promoted Hindu-Muslim unity
1st English President
1888, Allahabad — George Yule
First non-Indian to preside over INC
Vande Mataram 1st Sung
1896, Calcutta
Bankim Chandra’s composition sung at INC for the first time
Swaraj Declared
1906, Calcutta — Dadabhai Naoroji
Self-rule declared as INC’s goal for the first time
Congress Split
1907, Surat
Moderates vs Extremists; historic Surat Split
1st Woman President
1917, Calcutta — Annie Besant
British-born; Home Rule League leader; Theosophist
1st Indian Woman President
1925, Kanpur — Sarojini Naidu
‘Nightingale of India’; poet and freedom fighter
Purna Swaraj
1929, Lahore — Jawaharlal Nehru
Complete Independence declared; 26 Jan = Independence Day
Only Gandhi-Presided
1924, Belgaum — Mahatma Gandhi
The only INC session presided over by Mahatma Gandhi
Youngest President
1923, Delhi — Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Age 35; Special Session; also longest-serving (1940–46)
1st Village Session
1937, Faizpur — Jawaharlal Nehru
First & only INC session held in a village; peasant focus
📊 Sessions by City — Visual Frequency
★ Three Eras of INC — Detailed Analysis
Moderate Phase
1885–1905 · 21 Sessions · Prayer, Petition, Protest
- 1885 Bombay: 1st session; 72 delegates; W.C. Bonnerjee
- 1886 Calcutta: Dadabhai Naoroji — ‘Drain of Wealth’ theory
- 1896 Calcutta: ‘Vande Mataram’ sung for 1st time
- 1905 Banaras: Gokhale presided; Swadeshi rising
- Leaders: Naoroji, Gokhale, Pherozeshah Mehta, S.N. Banerjee
- Key demand: Simultaneous ICS exams in India & England
- Methods: Constitutional means, resolutions, press campaigns
Extremist Phase
1906–1919 · 16 Sessions · Swaraj, Swadeshi, Boycott
- 1906 Calcutta: ‘Swaraj’ declared as Congress goal
- 1907 Surat: Congress SPLIT (Moderates vs Extremists)
- 1916 Lucknow: Lucknow Pact; Congress-League united
- 1917 Calcutta: Annie Besant — 1st woman president
- 1919 Amritsar: Post-Jallianwala Bagh; Rowlatt Act
- Leaders: Tilak, Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal, Besant
- Methods: Boycott, national education, passive resistance
Gandhian Phase
1920–1947 · 20 Sessions · Mass Movements
- 1920 Nagpur: Non-Cooperation approved; new constitution
- 1924 Belgaum: Only session presided by Gandhi
- 1929 Lahore: ‘Purna Swaraj’; Nehru; 26 Jan = Indep. Day
- 1931 Karachi: Fundamental Rights & Economic Programme
- 1937 Faizpur: 1st village session; peasant focus
- 1939 Tripuri: Bose re-elected defeating Gandhi’s candidate
- Methods: NCM, CDM, Quit India, mass satyagraha
✎ UPSC Prelims Practice — MCQs
Question 1
Consider the following statements about the first session of the Indian National Congress:
It was held at Bombay in 1885.
It was presided over by A.O. Hume.
72 delegates from all presidencies attended.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 1 and 3 only(c) 2 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only
The first session was held at Bombay in 1885 with 72 delegates. However, A.O. Hume was the organizer, not the president. W.C. Bonnerjee presided over the first session.
Question 2
With reference to the Indian National Congress sessions, consider the following:
The term ‘Swaraj’ was first used as the goal of INC at the Calcutta session of 1906.
The Surat Split of 1907 was between the Congress and the Muslim League.
The Lucknow Pact of 1916 brought about the reunion of Moderates and Extremists.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only(b) 1 and 3 only(c) 2 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only
Statement 1 is correct — Dadabhai Naoroji first declared ‘Swaraj’ as the Congress goal in 1906. Statement 2 is incorrect — the Surat Split (1907) was between Moderates and Extremists within the Congress, not between Congress and Muslim League. Statement 3 is correct — the 1916 Lucknow session saw both wings reunite.
Question 3
Consider the following pairs:
First woman president of INC — Sarojini Naidu
First Muslim president of INC — Badruddin Tyabji
First non-Indian president of INC — George Yule
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Statement 1 is incorrect. The first woman president was Annie Besant (1917, Calcutta). Sarojini Naidu (1925, Kanpur) was the first Indian woman president. Statements 2 and 3 are correct — Tyabji (1887) and Yule (1888).
Question 4
The resolution on ‘Purna Swaraj’ (Complete Independence) was adopted at which INC session?
(a) Calcutta, 1928(b) Lahore, 1929(c) Karachi, 1931(d) Nagpur, 1920
Answer: (b) Lahore, 1929
The Lahore session (1929), presided by Jawaharlal Nehru, declared ‘Purna Swaraj’ (Complete Independence) as the goal. 26th January was designated as Independence Day, later becoming Republic Day. The Calcutta session (1928) had adopted Dominion Status (Nehru Report).
Question 5
Consider the following statements:
The Karachi session (1931) adopted the resolution on Fundamental Rights and National Economic Programme.
This session was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi.
It was held shortly after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only(b) 1 and 3 only(c) 2 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only
Statements 1 & 3 are correct. The Karachi session adopted the historic Fundamental Rights resolution after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. However, it was presided by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, not Gandhi. Gandhi presided over only one session — Belgaum, 1924.
Question 6
At the Tripuri session of the Indian National Congress (1939):
(a) The Quit India Resolution was passed(b) Subhas Chandra Bose was elected president for the first time(c) Subhas Chandra Bose was re-elected president defeating Gandhi’s candidate Pattabhi Sitaramayya(d) The Non-Cooperation Movement was approved
Answer: (c)
At Tripuri (1939), Bose was re-elected (he was first elected at Haripura, 1938), defeating Gandhi’s preferred candidate Pattabhi Sitaramayya. Gandhi remarked that Pattabhi’s defeat was his defeat. Bose later resigned due to lack of support from the Congress Working Committee.
Question 7
Consider the following statements about the Nagpur session of INC (1920):
The Non-Cooperation Movement was ratified at this session.
The Congress adopted a new constitution with the goal of attaining Swaraj.
Provincial Congress Committees were reorganized on a linguistic basis.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only(b) 1 and 2 only(c) 2 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three are correct. The Nagpur session (1920) was a landmark — it ratified the NCM (first approved at the special Calcutta session), adopted a new constitution with Swaraj as the goal, and reorganized Provincial Congress Committees on linguistic lines, transforming Congress into a mass movement.
Question 8
Which of the following INC sessions is/are correctly matched with the city where it was held?
Session where ‘Vande Mataram’ was first sung — Madras
Session presided by the youngest president — Delhi
The only session held in a village — Faizpur
(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only
Statement 1 is incorrect — ‘Vande Mataram’ was first sung at the Calcutta session (1896), not Madras. Statement 2 is correct — Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (age 35) presided over the 1923 Delhi Special Session. Statement 3 is correct — Faizpur (1937) was the first and only village session.
Question 9
Consider the following about the Lucknow Pact (1916):
It was an agreement between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League.
It marked the reunion of Moderates and Extremists within the Congress.
The session was presided over by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only(b) 1 and 2 only(c) 1 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) 1 and 2 only
Statements 1 & 2 are correct — the 1916 Lucknow session saw both the Congress-League agreement and the reunion of Moderates and Extremists. Statement 3 is incorrect — the session was presided by Ambika Charan Mazumdar, not Tilak. Tilak played a key role in negotiations but did not preside.
Question 10
Which one of the following is the correct chronological order of the INC sessions?
(a) Surat Split → Lucknow Pact → Nagpur (NCM) → Lahore (Purna Swaraj) → Karachi (Fundamental Rights)
(b) Lucknow Pact → Surat Split → Lahore (Purna Swaraj) → Nagpur (NCM) → Karachi (Fundamental Rights)
(c) Surat Split → Nagpur (NCM) → Lucknow Pact → Karachi (Fundamental Rights) → Lahore (Purna Swaraj)
(d) Surat Split → Lucknow Pact → Lahore (Purna Swaraj) → Nagpur (NCM) → Karachi (Fundamental Rights)
Answer: (a)
The correct chronological order is: Surat Split (1907) → Lucknow Pact (1916) → Nagpur — NCM ratified (1920) → Lahore — Purna Swaraj (1929) → Karachi — Fundamental Rights (1931). This is a frequently tested sequence in UPSC Prelims.
★ Complete INC Sessions Database
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