GS-I

History

IMPORTANT INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS SESSIONS

About Indian National Congress:
● It was founded in 1885 by A O Hume.
● It was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge against the British Empire in
Asia.
○ He invited many Indian leaders laid the foundation of INC, earlier known as
‘Indian National Union’.
○ But, after the suggestion of Dadabhai Naoroji, its name was changed to
‘Indian National Congress.’
■ The word ‘Congress’ was sourced from the American Constitution.
● A dire need was felt for an all-India organisation of educated Indians since 1880, but
the Ilbert Bill controversy deepened this desire.

SESSION PLACE AND PRESIDENT IMPORTANT EVENT

YEAR OF THE SESSION

First session Bombay, 1885 Womesh Chandra Formation of the Indian

Bannerjee National Congress

Second session Calcutta, 1886 Shri Dadabhai

Naoroji

Third session Madras, 1887 Badruddin Tyabji First Muslim President

Fourth session Allahabad, 1888 George Yule First English President

Twelfth session Calcutta, 1896 Rahimatullah M. National Song ‘Vande

Sayani Mataram’ was sung for
the first time by
Rabindranath Tagore.

Fifteenth session Lucknow, 1899 Romesh Chunder There was a demand

Dutt for permanent fixation
of Land revenue in this
session
Seventeenth Calcutta, 1901 Dinshaw Wacha First time, Gandhiji
session appeared on INC
platform

21st session Banaras, 1905 Gopal Krishna Formal proclamation of

Gokhale Swadeshi movement
against government

22nd session Calcutta, 1906 Dadabhai Naoroji This session had

adopted four
resolutions i.e. Swaraj
(Self Government),
Boycott Movement,
Swadeshi & National
Education

23rd session Surat, 1907 Rash Bihari Ghosh ● Split in

Congress and
formed
Moderates &
Extremist

● Suspension of
Session

25th session Allahabad, 1910 Sir William M.A Jinnah publicly

Wedderburn rejected the separate
electorate system
introduced by act of
1909

26th session Calcutta, 1911 B. N. Dhar First time Jan-Gan-Man

was recited in
Congress session

30th session Bombay, 1915 Satyendra Sinha Constitution of the

Congress was altered
to admit the delegates
from the extremist
section
31st session Lucknow, 1916 A.C.Majumdar ● This session
brought about
unity between
two parts-
Moderates and
Extremists.
● Lucknow Pact
signed between
Congress and
Muslim League.

32nd session Calcutta, 1917 Annie Besant First woman president

1918 Special Bombay, 1918 Syed Hasan Imam The session was called
Session upon to discuss on
Montagu–Chelmsford
Reforms Scheme

34th session Amritsar, 1919 Motilal Nehru Congress extended

support to Khilafat
Movement

35th session Nagpur, 1920 C. ● Reconstitution

Vijayaraghavachariar of Working
committees of
Congress on
Linguistic basis
● MA Jinnah left
the Indian
National
Congress

1920 Special Calcutta, 1920 Lala Lajpat Rai Mahatma Gandhi

Session moved the Non
cooperation resolution

37th session Gaya, 1922 C.R.Das ● CR Das and

other leaders
left INC
● Formation of
Swaraj Party
39th session Belgaum, 1924 Mahatma Gandhi Only session presided
by Bapu

40th session Cawnpore Sarojini Naidu First Indian Women

(Kanpur), 1925 President

42nd session Madras, 1927 M. A. Ansari ● A resolution

was passed
against the use
of Indian troops
in China, Iran
and
Mesopotamia
● A resolution
was passed to
boycott Simon
Commission
● Adoption of
resolution on
Purna Swaraj

43rd session Lahore, 1929 Jawaharlal Nehru ● Passed the

resolution on
‘Poorna Swaraj.’
● Civil
Disobedience
movement to be
launched soon
● It was decided
that 26 January
was to be
observed as
‘Independence
Day’.
45th session Karachi, 1931 Sardar Vallabhbhai ● Endorsement of
Patel Gandhi-Irwin
pact
● Gandhi
nominated to
represent INC in
the Second
Round Table
Conference (to
be held in
London)

48th session Bombay, 1934 Dr. Rajendra Prasad The Constitution of

Congress got amended

50th session Faizpur, 1937 Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru First Session to be held
in a village

51st session Haripura, 1938 Subash Chandra National Planning

Bose Committee set up
under Jawahar Lal
Nehru.

52nd session Tripura, 1939 Subash Chandra Subhash Chandra

Bose, but resigned Bose formed Forward
Bloc
Then, Rajendra
Prasad

53rd session Ramgarh, 1940 Maulana Abul Kalam Civil Disobedience

Azad movement to be
launched soon.

54th session Meerut, 1946 J. B. Kriplani ● Last session

before
independence
● J.B Kriplani was
the president of
INC at
independence

Sources
● INC.com
● NCERTs