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INC Sessions began in 1885, with the first session held in Bombay under the presidency of W.C. Bonnerjee. Indian National Congress (INC) sessions provided a national platform for Indian political leaders to debate colonial policies, formulate demands, and coordinate the nationalist movement.

The INC sessions were significant in shaping the ideological, organisational and strategic direction of the freedom movement. However, they also faced challenges such as Moderate–Extremist divisions, differences over council entry, ideological conflicts and leadership struggles, as seen in the Surat split and the Tripuri crisis of 1939.

INC Sessions About

Q: What are the sessions of Congress?

Congress sessions are formal meetings where INC leaders discuss political issues, adopt resolutions, and decide the organisation's policies and programmes.

Q: How many INC sessions held?

The Indian National Congress (INC) held a total of 54 annual sessions during the pre-independence British-ruled era from 1885 to 1947.

Q: What were the most important sessions of the Indian National Congress?

Important sessions include Surat (1907), Lucknow (1916), Nagpur (1920), Lahore (1929), Karachi (1931), and Tripuri (1939).

Q: Where was the first session of the INC held?

The INC convened its inaugural session in Bombay's Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College.

Q: Who never presided over an INC session?

Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Lokmanya Tilak) is the prominent freedom fighter who never presided over any annual session of the Indian National Congress (INC).

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on 28 December 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume, initially as a platform for civil and political discussion among educated Indians. Over time, it evolved into the primary force behind India’s independence movement.

The Congress held annual sessions called INC sessions, usually in December, where leaders from across India gathered to discuss policies and strategies.
Additionally, special sessions were also convened during critical moments, such as the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920), reflecting the INC’s adaptability in key political junctures.

Important INC Sessions List and Presidents

The Indian National Congress sessions from 1885 to 1947 shaped India’s nationalist movement, evolved political demands, and provided direction to the struggle for independence. The following table highlights the important INC sessions, list, year, place, presidents, and significance of each major session of the Indian National Congress:

Year	Venue	President	Significance
1885	Bombay	Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee	- 72 social reformers, journalists, and lawyers convened at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay for the INC's inaugural session.
1886	Calcutta	Dadabhai Naoroji	- Merger of INC and National Conference -Decided to set up Provincial Congress Committees across the country.
1887	Madras	Badruddin Tyabji	To promote unity and cooperation among the various regional groups, the appeal was made to the Muslims to join the INC.
1888	Allahabad	George Yule	First English President of INC.
1889	Bombay	Sir William Wedderburn	INC's British Committee was founded in Britain.
1890	Calcutta	Pherozeshah Mehta	The first woman to graduate from Calcutta University, Kadambini Ganguly, spoke at the Congress in 1890.
1891	Nagpur	P. Ananda Charlu	Congress continued its demands for administrative and legislative reforms, including greater Indian participation in governance
1892	Allahabad	Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee	Congress criticized the Indian Councils Act of 1892
1893	Lahore	Dadabhai Naoroji	Naoroji's leadership reinforced Congress's focus on economic exploitation and the demand for greater Indian representation in administration.
1894	Madras	Alfred Webb	Congress opposed discriminatory taxation, including the cotton excise duty, and criticised restrictions on the press and public services.
1895	Pune	Surendranath Banerjee	There was a significant increase in the number of attendees for this session.
1896	Calcutta	Rahimatullah M. Sayani	“Vande Mataram”, the national song, was sung for the first time; Passed a resolution blaming the British for the famine that had devastated many parts of India.
1897	Amraoti	C. Sankaran Nair	Congress slammed the British for the arrest of Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
1898	Madras	Ananda Mohan Bose	Congress continued its campaign against repressive colonial legislation and for constitutional and administrative reforms.
1899	Lucknow	Romesh Chunder Dutt	Congress demanded that the British government should stop the 'drain of wealth’ from India to England.
1900	Lahore	N.G. Chandavarkar	Congress further amended its constitution and discussed the Punjab Land Alienation Act, showing sensitivity to agrarian and community concerns.
1901	Calcutta	Dinshaw Eduljee Wacha	- For the first time, Mahatma Gandhi appeared on the Congress platform. - Gandhi ji, a South Africa-based lawyer, then pleaded with Congress to back the fight against racial exploitation and injustice in the Country.
1902	Ahmedabad	Surendranath Banerjee	Congress continued its campaign for constitutional reforms, greater Indian representation and administrative accountability.
1903	Madras	Lal Mohan Ghosh	Congress continued discussions on economic grievances, administrative reforms and expansion of Indian participation in governance.
1904	Bombay	Sir Henry Cotton	Congress expressed strong disapproval of Lord Curzon's misuse of Indian revenues for his aggressive policy in Tibet and vehemently protested the Curzon administration's plan to partition Bengal.
1905	Banaras	Gopal Krishna Gokhale	- The divisions between the moderates and the extremists came to the fore; - Adopted the Swadeshi resolution.
1906	Calcutta	Shri Dadabhai Naoroji	For the first time, Congress declared Swaraj as its aim.
1907 (Suspended)	Surat	Rash Behari Ghosh	Congress was split into two – the moderates and the extremists.
1908	Madras	Rash Behari Ghosh	Congress attempted to reorganise itself after the Surat split while continuing constitutional opposition to colonial policies.
1909	Lahore	Madan Mohan Malaviya	Congress opposed the Indian Councils Act of 1909's proposal to create separate electorates based on religion.
1910	Allahabad	Sir William Wedderburn	Congress continued its campaign for constitutional reforms, civil liberties and greater Indian participation in administration.
1911	Calcutta	Bishan Narayan Dar	It was the first time that "Jana Gana Mana," the national anthem of India, was performed.
1912	Bankipore	Raghunath Mudholkar	Congress continued its programme of constitutional reform and administrative representation, while emphasising Indian participation in governance.
1913	Karachi	Nawab Syed Mohammed Bahadur	Congress continued demands for self-government, civil liberties and greater Indian participation in administration.
1914	Madras	Bhupendra Nath Bose	Congress demanded that Indians be allowed to have higher positions in the army.
1915	Bombay	Satyendra Prasanna Sinha	To allow the delegates from the extremist section to be admitted, the Congress's constitution was appropriately changed.
1916	Lucknow	Ambica Charan Mazumdar	Unification of the moderates and extremists.
1917	Calcutta	Annie Besant	Congress got its first woman President.
1918	Delhi	Madan Mohan Malaviya	Growing mass character: around 1,000 peasant delegates participated; Congress demanded repeal of repressive laws and greater self-determination.
1918 (Special Session)	Bombay	Syed Hasan Imam	Congress expressed disappointment with the Montague-Chelmsford Reform. It called for the Indian people to have a Declaration of Rights.
1919	Amritsar	Motilal Nehru	Congress declared that it was in sympathy with the victims of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
1920 (Special Session)	Calcutta	Lala Lajpat Rai	INC approved the Non-Cooperation Movement (NCM).
1920	Nagpur	C. Vijayaraghavachariar	- Congress intensified the NCM. -The importance of using non-violent means was emphasized.
1921	Ahmadabad	Hakim Ajmal Khan (Acting President for C.R. Das)	Gandhiji was declared the only executive authority of the Congress and given full AICC authority.
1922	Gaya	Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das	Intense debate on the issue of council entry led to CR Das and others breaking away from the INC and forming the Swaraj Party.
1923 (Special Session)	Delhi	Maulana Abul Kalam Azad	Decided to permit members to run for office in the next elections.
1924	Belgaum	M.K. Gandhi	The Only INC session presided over by Mahatma Gandhi.
1Downpour	nope	Mrs. Sarojini Naidu	Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman to preside over the Congress.
1926	Guwahati	S. Srinivasa Iyengar	Congress laid emphasis on work in legislatures, while opposing official ministries and measures that strengthened colonial control.
1927	Madras	M.A. Ansari	Congress resolved to boycott the Simon Commission.
1928	Calcutta	Motilal Nehru	- The first All India Youth Congress was formed. - Resolution to adopt the Motilal Nehru report's suggestion to grant Dominion Status to India within two years.
1929	Lahore	Jawaharlal Nehru	Congress declared Purna Swaraj as its ultimate goal.
1931	Karachi	Vallabhbhai J. Patel	- Congress passed a resolution on Fundamental Rights and the National Economic Program. -It also endorsed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.
1933	Calcutta	Mrs. Nellie Sengupta	Nellie Sengupta became the third woman to preside over the INC; Congress continued its civil-disobedience-related political programme.
1934	Bombay	Dr. Rajendra Prasad	Wearing Khadi was established as a rule for elected members.
1936	Lucknow	Jawaharlal Nehru	Urged Congressmen to adopt Socialism.
1937	Faizpur (Bombay Presidency)	Jawaharlal Nehru	The first Congress Session in a rural area.
1938	Haripura	Subhash Chandra Bose	- Rejected the federal structure given by the GoI in 1935. - Under the chairmanship of Nehru, the National Planning Committee was formed.
1939	Tripuri	Subhash Chandra Bose	Following Subhas Chandra Bose's resignation, Rajendra Prasad assumed the presidency.
1940	Ramgarh	Maulana Abul Kalam Azad	The Congress objected to India being labelled as a belligerent nation in the war efforts.
1946	Meerut	J.B. Kripalani	Last INC session before Independence.

INC Session Importance

INC sessions served as crucial platforms for shaping nationalist policies, fostering unity, debating strategies, and defining major milestones in India's struggle for independence.

Shaped the Freedom Movement: INC sessions provided a common platform for discussing political, economic and social issues and helped transform scattered opposition into an organised national movement.
Formulated Key Demands: Important resolutions on Swaraj, civil rights, constitutional reforms, Swadeshi and economic issues were adopted, giving direction to the nationalist movement.
Promoted National Unity: The sessions brought together leaders and delegates from different regions, communities and social backgrounds, strengthening the idea of a united Indian nation.
Decided Movement Strategies: Major changes in Congress policy and methods of struggle were debated and approved at these sessions, including Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India.
Provided Leadership: The sessions facilitated the emergence of prominent leaders and helped build an organised political network across India.
Historical Milestones: Sessions such as Lucknow (1916), Nagpur (1920), Lahore (1929) and Karachi (1931) marked important turning points in India's freedom struggle.

INC Sessions UPSC PYQs

Q1: Consider the following statements (UPSC Prelims 2015)

The first woman President of the Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu.
The first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress was Badruddin Tyabji.

Which of the statements given is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (b)

Q2: The 1929 Session of the Indian National Congress is of significance in the history of the Freedom Movement because the (UPSC Prelims 2014)

(a) attainment of Self-Government was declared as the objective of the Congress

(b) attainment of Poorna Swaraj was adopted as the goal of the Congress

(d) the decision to participate in the Round Table Conference in London was taken

Ans: (b)

Other Related Posts
Foundation of Indian National Congress	Poona Sarvajanik Sabha
INC Sessions	The Indian League (1875)
Moderate Phase of INC	Important Leaders of the Revolt of 1857
British Indian Association	Jhansi Rani Lakshmibai
Madras Mahajana Sabha	Vedic Period
Bombay Presidency Association

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INC Sessions FAQs

Q1. What are the sessions of Congress?+

Q2. How many INC sessions held?+

Q3. What were the most important sessions of the Indian National Congress?+

Q4. Where was the first session of the INC held?+

Q5. Who never presided over an INC session?+

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