Annual Sessions of the Indian National Congress
Modern History › Quick Reference for Revision · Topic 33.2
The Indian National Congress held its first session at Bombay on 28 December 1885 under W.C. Bonnerjee and met every year, usually in late December, with a few exceptions. This table lists the sessions from 1885 to 1955 with place, president and the main decision, including the Surat split of 1907, the Lucknow Pact of 1916, the Nagpur constitution of 1920 and the Purna Swaraj resolution of 1929.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Quick Reference for Revision
At a Glance
- First session Bombay, 28 December 1885; W.C. Bonnerjee
- Split Surat, 1907
- Purna Swaraj Lahore, 1929; Jawaharlal Nehru
- Free India Congress President of 1948: Pattabhi Sitaramayya
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Quick Reference for Revision
Where Does It Fit?
This is the second topic of the category on quick reference for revision. The previous topic covered the Governors-General and Viceroys. This topic lists the annual sessions of the Congress. The next topic lists personalities associated with the main movements. Previous topic: Governors-General and Viceroys of India: Significant Events in Their Rule.
Which Sessions Fall in the Early Congress, 1885-1905?
| Year and place | President | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| 1885 Bombay | W.C. Bonnerjee | First session; 72 delegates |
| 1886 Calcutta | Dadabhai Naoroji | The National Conference merged with the Congress; 436 delegates |
| 1887 Madras | Badruddin Tyabji | First Muslim president; 607 delegates |
| 1888 Allahabad | George Yule | First English president; 1,248 delegates |
| 1889 Bombay | William Wedderburn | A British Committee of the Congress in London set up |
| 1890 Calcutta | Pherozeshah Mehta | First woman speaker, Kadambini Ganguly |
| 1891 Nagpur | P. Ananda Charlu | Regular annual session |
| 1892 Allahabad | W.C. Bonnerjee | Indian Councils Act of 1892 passed that year |
| 1893 Lahore | Dadabhai Naoroji | Regular annual session |
| 1894 Madras | Alfred Webb | Regular annual session |
| 1895 Poona | Surendranath Banerjea | Regular annual session |
| 1896 Calcutta | Rahimtulla Sayani | Vande Mataram sung for the first time |
| 1897 Amravati | C. Sankaran Nair | Regular annual session |
| 1898 Madras | Ananda Mohan Bose | Regular annual session |
| 1899 Lucknow | Romesh Chandra Dutt | Demand for permanent fixation of land revenue |
| 1900 Lahore | N.G. Chandavarkar | Regular annual session |
| 1901 Calcutta | Dinshaw Wacha | Regular annual session |
| 1902 Ahmedabad | Surendranath Banerjea | Regular annual session |
| 1903 Madras | Lalmohan Ghose | Regular annual session |
| 1904 Bombay | Henry Cotton | Resentment against Curzon’s policies |
| 1905 Benares | Gopal Krishna Gokhale | Disapproved the Partition of Bengal and supported Swadeshi and boycott in Bengal |
The early years are described in Era of the Moderates, 1885-1905: Approach and Leaders and the Congress’s policy up to 1905 in Evaluation of the Early Nationalists.
Which Sessions Fall in 1906-1919?
| Year and place | President | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| 1906 Calcutta | Dadabhai Naoroji | Swaraj declared the goal of the Congress; Swadeshi, boycott and national education |
| 1907 Surat | Rash Behari Ghosh | Split between Moderates and Extremists |
| 1908 Madras | Rash Behari Ghosh | Moderates drew up a constitution for the Congress |
| 1909 Lahore | Madan Mohan Malaviya | Objection to separate electorates under the Morley-Minto reforms |
| 1910 Allahabad | William Wedderburn | Regular annual session |
| 1911 Calcutta | Bishan Narayan Dhar | Jana Gana Mana sung for the first time |
| 1912 Bankipore | R.N. Mudholkar | Regular annual session |
| 1913 Karachi | Syed Mohammad | Regular annual session |
| 1914 Madras | Bhupendranath Basu | Regular annual session |
| 1915 Bombay | S.P. Sinha | Regular annual session |
| 1916 Lucknow | A.C. Majumdar | Reunion of Moderates and Extremists; Lucknow Pact with the Muslim League |
| 1917 Calcutta | Annie Besant | First woman president |
| 1918 Delhi | Madan Mohan Malaviya | Regular session; a special session at Bombay under Hasan Imam had rejected the reforms |
| 1919 Amritsar | Motilal Nehru | Condemned the Jallianwala Bagh massacre |
The split is in Surat Split, 1907 and the pact in Lucknow Session of 1916 and the Lucknow Pact.
Which Sessions Fall in 1920-1940?
| Year and place | President | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 Nagpur | C. Vijayaraghavachariar | Non-Cooperation adopted (after the Calcutta special session under Lajpat Rai); a new constitution; linguistic provincial committees |
| 1921 Ahmedabad | C.R. Das (in prison); Hakim Ajmal Khan acting | Non-Cooperation continued |
| 1922 Gaya | C.R. Das | Pro-changers and No-changers; the Swarajya Party formed |
| 1923 Kakinada | Maulana Mohammad Ali | Regular annual session |
| 1924 Belgaum | M.K. Gandhi | The only session Gandhi presided over |
| 1925 Kanpur | Sarojini Naidu | First Indian woman president |
| 1926 Gauhati | S. Srinivasa Iyengar | Regular annual session |
| 1927 Madras | M.A. Ansari | Independence resolution; boycott of the Simon Commission |
| 1928 Calcutta | Motilal Nehru | Nehru Report; dominion status ultimatum |
| 1929 Lahore | Jawaharlal Nehru | Purna Swaraj resolution; authority for civil disobedience |
| 1931 Karachi | Vallabhbhai Patel | Gandhi-Irwin Pact endorsed; Fundamental Rights and National Economic Programme |
| 1932 Delhi | Amrit Ranchhoddas Seth | Held under a ban |
| 1933 Calcutta | Nellie Sengupta | Held under a ban |
| 1934 Bombay | Rajendra Prasad | Regular annual session |
| 1936 Lucknow | Jawaharlal Nehru | Nehru urged socialism as the goal |
| 1936 Faizpur | Jawaharlal Nehru | First session held in a village; agrarian programme |
| 1938 Haripura | Subhash Chandra Bose | National Planning Committee set up under Nehru |
| 1939 Tripuri | Subhash Chandra Bose | Bose resigned; Rajendra Prasad took over |
| 1940 Ramgarh | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad | Called for civil disobedience |
The sessions of the 1920s are in Khilafat Committee Congress approval Special session at Calcutta, September 1920 Nagpur session…">Programme of the Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement and Swarajists and No-Changers, and those of 1929-31 in Lahore Congress and Purna Swaraj and Karachi Congress Session, 1931. The later sessions are in Haripura and Tripuri Sessions and Subhash Bose’s Views and Congress in the 1937 Elections.
Which Sessions Fall in 1946-1955?
| Year and place | President | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 Meerut | J.B. Kripalani | The last session before independence |
| 1948 Jaipur | Pattabhi Sitaramayya | The first session after independence |
| 1950 Nasik | Purushottam Das Tandon | Three candidates: Tandon, backed by Patel, Kripalani, backed by Nehru, and Shankar Rao Deo |
| 1951 Delhi | Jawaharlal Nehru | Tandon resigned in September 1951; Nehru became president |
| 1953 Hyderabad | Jawaharlal Nehru | Regular annual session |
| 1954 Kalyani | U.N. Dhebar | Regular annual session |
| 1955 Avadi | U.N. Dhebar | Socialistic pattern of society adopted as the objective |
No sessions were held in 1930, 1935 and from 1941 to 1945, because of the movements and the war. As an analytical point, the presidents mirror the phases: lawyers and Moderates in the first twenty years, Extremists and the Home Rule leaders after 1906 and 1916, Gandhians after 1920, socialists and Bose in the late 1930s, and the independence leaders after 1946. The Nasik contest of 1950 is also a sign of the conflict between Nehru and Patel on the party’s direction. See First General Elections, 1951-52 for the Congress in office.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Presidents and places A standard Prelims matching question
- Decisions Each session links to a policy shift
- Chronology Fixes dates of nationalist milestones
What Came Next?
The next topic lists personalities associated with the Swadeshi, Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India movements. Next topic: Personalities Associated With Specific Movements.
Key People and Terms
- W.C. Bonnerjee First president, 1885
- Badruddin Tyabji First Muslim president, 1887
- Annie Besant First woman president, 1917
- Sarojini Naidu First Indian woman president, 1925
- Purna Swaraj Resolution of Lahore, 1929
- Pattabhi Sitaramayya President at Jaipur, 1948
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- 1885 Bonnerjee; 1886 Naoroji; 1887 Tyabji; 1888 Yule.
- Surat 1907 split; Lucknow 1916 reunion.
- Gandhi presided at Belgaum 1924.
- Lahore 1929 Nehru; Karachi 1931 Patel.
- Haripura 1938 and Tripuri 1939: Bose.
Do Not Confuse With
- Lucknow 1916 and Lucknow 1936 Pact with the League versus Nehru’s socialist presidential address
- Haripura and Tripuri Bose’s first and second terms
- Naoroji 1886, 1893 and 1906 Three terms as president
Memory Hook
Bombay begins, Surat splits, Lucknow joins, Nagpur changes, Lahore declares.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for a sequence of sessions. These points add depth.
- Phases Moderate, Extremist, Gandhian, left
- Milestones 1907, 1916, 1920, 1929
- Presidents Firsts of community and gender
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Trace the main decisions of the Congress sessions from 1885 to 1947.”
How to Answer
- Early Moderate sessions.
- Middle Surat, Lucknow.
- Gandhian Nagpur to Lahore.
- Conclude 1930s to 1948.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
Where and when was the first session of the Congress held?
The first session was held at Bombay in December 1885 under W.C. Bonnerjee as president, with 72 delegates present, and it outlined the objectives of the Congress as a body to voice Indian political demands to the government.
Who was the first woman president of the Congress?
Annie Besant presided over the Calcutta session of 1917 as the first woman president, and Sarojini Naidu, who presided over the Kanpur session of 1925, was the first Indian woman to hold the office, after her work in the freedom movement.
At which session did the Congress split into Moderates and Extremists?
The Surat session of December 1907, presided over by Rash Behari Ghosh, saw the split between Moderates and Extremists, and the two wings were reunited at the Lucknow session of 1916 under A.C. Majumdar, when the Lucknow Pact was also signed.
Which session passed the Purna Swaraj resolution?
The Lahore session of December 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, passed the Purna Swaraj resolution, which made complete independence the goal and authorised the Working Committee to launch a civil disobedience programme, and 26 January was fixed as Independence Day.
Which session did Gandhi preside over?
Mahatma Gandhi presided over only one session of the Congress, at Belgaum in 1924, and the next year Sarojini Naidu presided at Kanpur, after the Swarajists and the no-changers had come to terms, ending the dispute of the Gaya session.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 W.C. Bonnerjee presided over the first Congress session in 1885.
The session was held at Bombay.
2 Badruddin Tyabji was the first Muslim president of the Congress.
He presided at Madras in 1887.
3 The Congress split at the Lahore session of 1907.
The split was at Surat.
4 Subhash Chandra Bose presided over the Haripura session of 1938.
He was re-elected at Tripuri in 1939.
5 Gandhi presided over the Karachi session of 1931.
Vallabhbhai Patel presided.
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