Indian National Congress
On the 28th of December 1885, seventy-two delegates gathered inside Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay to establish a new political body. Allan Octavian Hume, a retired British Civil Servant, had organized this meeting with approval from Viceroy Lord Dufferin. The first session elected Umesh Chandra Banerjee as its president and set a goal to obtain greater government share for educated Indians. Dadabhai Naoroji became the party's second president in 1886 and later served as the first Indian Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons between 1892 and 1895. These early leaders focused on constitutional reforms rather than immediate independence. They demanded the abolition of the India Council in London and the creation of legislative councils for provinces like Sindh and Awadh. Moderates like Romesh Chunder Dutt introduced the Drain Theory to explain how Britain exploited India's resources. This economic argument challenged the notion that colonial rule benefited the country. By 1905, the movement split into two factions over strategy. Moderates led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale preferred peaceful dialogue while Extremists like Bal Gangadhar Tilak advocated direct action. The Surat Split in December 1907 formalized this division within the organization.
Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa in 1915 and joined the Congress to transform it into a mass movement. He organized three major struggles between 1917 and 1918 known as Champaran Satyagraha, Ahmedabad Mill Strike, and Kheda Satyagraha. In 1924, with help from moderate leader Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Gandhi became president of the party. His leadership attracted support from figures like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru. The party declared complete independence at its 1929 Lahore session under Nehru's presidency. They designated the 26th of January 1930 as Independence Day to mark their goal. During World War II, Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement on the 8th of August 1942 at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay. The colonial government arrested over 1,000 participants and killed many more during the crackdown. This movement weakened British control and paved the way for independence. After the war ended in 1945, jailed prisoners were released. The Labour Party of the United Kingdom won elections promising Indian independence. Congress helped form the INA Defence Committee to protect soldiers of the Azad Hind provisional government. By 1947, the party had successfully led India to freedom from the United Kingdom.
In mid-1969, Indira Gandhi was involved in a dispute with senior party leaders over several issues. She supported independent candidate V. V. Giri for president instead of official nominee Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. The party president S. Nijalingappa expelled her from the organization for indiscipline. Gandhi launched her own faction known as Congress (R) which won the 1971 general election by a huge margin. Her government nationalized fourteen major private banks in July 1969 to mobilize resources for development. On the 12th of June 1975, the High Court of Allahabad declared her election void due to electoral malpractice. She rejected calls to resign and announced plans to appeal to the Supreme Court. The State of Emergency began on the 25th of June 1975 and officially ended on the 21st of March 1977. During this period, widespread oppression occurred under the direction of her son Sanjay Gandhi. In parliamentary elections held in March 1977, the Janata alliance won 295 seats against Congress' 153. Gandhi lost her seat to opponent Raj Narain. On the 1st of January 1978, she formed a new opposition party called Congress (I). This faction became recognized as the real Indian National Congress by the Election Commission in 1981.
P. V. Narasimha Rao was elected prime minister in June 1991 after succeeding Rajiv Gandhi. He was the first person from South India to hold the office marking a shift from northern-dominated leadership. Rao personally oversaw the dismantling of the Licence Raj which had restricted business operations since 1947. He employed Manmohan Singh as finance minister to implement historic economic changes. These reforms involved implementing International Monetary Fund policies to prevent an impending economic collapse. The New Economic Policy opened areas to foreign investment and deregulated domestic business. India grappled with a balance of payments crisis and elevated inflation during this time. The goal was to transition the economy from a socialist model to a market economy. By 1996, the party faced internal challenges including corruption allegations and anti-incumbency sentiment. Congress was reduced to 140 seats in elections that year representing its lowest number in the Lok Sabha yet. Rao resigned as prime minister and party president in September 1996. Sitaram Kesri succeeded him as the party's first non-Brahmin leader.
Rajiv Gandhi became nominal head of Congress in 1984 following his mother's assassination on the 31st of October 1984. His administration took measures to reform government bureaucracy but became embroiled in financial scandals like the Bofors scandal. On the 21st of May 1991, he was killed by a bomb concealed in flowers while campaigning in Tamil Nadu for parliamentary elections. Sonia Gandhi assumed leadership of the party after declining offers earlier. She formed alliances with regional parties including the NCP and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for the 2004 general election. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance won 222 seats defeating the National Democratic Alliance. Despite massive support within the party, she declined the post of prime minister choosing Manmohan Singh instead. The UPA passed social reform bills including an employment guarantee bill and Right to Information Act. In 2009, the UPA won 262 seats enabling it to form a government for the second time. Sonia Gandhi served as president from 1998 to 2017 and again from 2019 to 2022 as interim.
By the 2014 election, the party had lost much popular support due to corruption allegations involving officials. The 2G spectrum case and Indian coal allocation scam contributed to growing discontent among voters. Congress won only 44 seats compared to 336 for the BJP and its allies. Its vote share dipped below 20 per cent for the first time in history. Rahul Gandhi resigned from his post after the 2019 election following another dismal performance where they won 52 seats. Party leaders began deliberations for a suitable candidate to replace him. Mallikarjun Kharge won the presidential election on the 17th of October 2022 securing 7,897 out of 9,385 votes cast. He led the party into the 2024 general election where they secured 99 seats. This performance marked their best result since 2014 and enabled Rahul Gandhi to assume the role of Leader of Opposition. A report by National Election Watch found that 222 electoral candidates left Congress between 2014 and 2021 to join other parties. These defections resulted in loss of established governments in states like Arunachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When and where was the Indian National Congress founded?
The Indian National Congress was established on the 28th of December 1885 inside Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay. Seventy-two delegates gathered for this meeting which was organized by Allan Octavian Hume with approval from Viceroy Lord Dufferin.
Who were the early leaders of the Indian National Congress and what were their goals?
Early leaders like Umesh Chandra Banerjee, Dadabhai Naoroji, and Romesh Chunder Dutt focused on constitutional reforms rather than immediate independence. They demanded the abolition of the India Council in London and the creation of legislative councils for provinces such as Sindh and Awadh to obtain greater government share for educated Indians.
How did Mahatma Gandhi transform the Indian National Congress into a mass movement?
Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa in 1915 to join the party and organized three major struggles between 1917 and 1918 known as Champaran Satyagraha, Ahmedabad Mill Strike, and Kheda Satyagraha. He later became president in 1924 and attracted support from figures like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru to declare complete independence at the 1929 Lahore session.
What happened during the State of Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi in 1975?
The State of Emergency began on the 25th of June 1975 after the High Court of Allahabad declared her election void on the 12th of June 1975 due to electoral malpractice. The period officially ended on the 21st of March 1977 when widespread oppression occurred under the direction of her son Sanjay Gandhi before she lost the parliamentary elections held in March 1977.
Why was P. V. Narasimha Rao elected prime minister in 1991 and what economic reforms did he implement?
P. V. Narasimha Rao was elected prime minister in June 1991 after succeeding Rajiv Gandhi and personally oversaw the dismantling of the Licence Raj which had restricted business operations since 1947. He employed Manmohan Singh as finance minister to implement historic economic changes involving International Monetary Fund policies to transition the economy from a socialist model to a market economy.