Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Indian National Congress coordinates its members to collectively achieve and use political power. It functions as an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in elections and participate in governance.
Modern political parties emerged around the end of the 18th century. They first appeared in Europe and the United States of America during this period.
The United Kingdom's Conservative Party is frequently called the world's oldest continuous political party. The Democratic Party of the United States is also frequently called the world's oldest continuous political party.
Elite parties are characterized by minimal and loose organization and are financed by fewer larger monetary contributions typically originating outside the party. Mass parties prioritize the mobilization of voters and are more centralized than elite parties.
Maurice Duverger observed in the 1950s that single-member district single-vote plurality-rule elections tend to produce two-party systems. This phenomenon came to be known as Duverger's law.