All Sessions of Indian National Congress (1885

Background

The Indian National Congress (INC) was the first all-India political organization that provided a common platform for Indians to express their grievances and aspirations under British rule. Founded in 1885 by A.O. Hume, it evolved from moderate reformist demands to a full-fledged national movement for independence.
Each annual session of the Congress became a landmark event where crucial decisions, strategies, and resolutions shaped the course of India’s freedom struggle. Between 1885 and 1947, a total of 52 sessions were held, reflecting the evolution of Indian politics.

Main Provisions and Key Facts (All 52 Sessions)

No.	Year	Place	President	Major Decisions / Events
1	1885	Bombay	W. C. Banerjee	Foundation of Congress; 72 delegates attended
2	1886	Calcutta	Dadabhai Naoroji	Defined aims of Congress
3	1887	Madras	Badruddin Tyabji	Emphasis on Hindu-Muslim unity
4	1888	Allahabad	George Yule	First Englishman as President
5	1889	Bombay	Sir William Wedderburn	Discussed administrative reforms
6	1890	Calcutta	Pherozeshah Mehta	Demanded Indian participation in governance
7	1891	Nagpur	P. Anand Charlu	Reviewed 1892 Council Act
8	1892	Allahabad	W. C. Banerjee	Supported reforms under 1892 Act
9	1893	Lahore	Dadabhai Naoroji	Discussed economic exploitation
10	1894	Madras	Alfred Webb	Irishman presided; solidarity with India
11	1895	Poona	Surendranath Banerjee	Focus on administrative reforms
12	1896	Calcutta	Rahimtulla Sayani	Emphasized Swadeshi goods
13	1897	Amraoti	C. Sankaran Nair	Nationalist awakening
14	1898	Madras	Ananda Charlu	Need for political awakening
15	1899	Lucknow	R. C. Dutt	Criticized British economic policies
16	1900	Lahore	N. G. Chandavarkar	Indian representation in governance
17	1901	Calcutta	Dinshaw Wacha	Freedom of Press discussed
18	1902	Ahmedabad	Surendranath Banerjee	National consciousness spread
19	1903	Madras	Lal Mohan Ghosh	Focus on reforms
20	1904	Bombay	Henry Cotton	Strengthening Congress organization
21	1905	Benares	Gopal Krishna Gokhale	Protest against Bengal Partition
22	1906	Calcutta	Dadabhai Naoroji	First demand for “Swaraj”
23	1907	Surat	Rash Behari Ghosh	Split between Moderates & Extremists
24	1908	Madras	Dr. Rashmi Kumar Dutt	Called for unity
25	1910	Allahabad	Sir William Wedderburn	National unity emphasized
26	1911	Calcutta	Bishan Narayan Dhar	Mention of capital shift to Delhi
27	1914	Madras	B. N. Dhar	Criticized British policies
28	1916	Lucknow	Ambica Charan Majumdar	Lucknow Pact with Muslim League
29	1917	Calcutta	Annie Besant	Supported Home Rule Movement
30	1918	Bombay	Madan Mohan Malaviya	Discussed reforms of 1919 Act
31	1919	Amritsar	Motilal Nehru	Condemned Jallianwala Bagh massacre
32	1920	Nagpur	C. R. Das	Adopted Non-Cooperation Movement
33	1921	Ahmedabad	Hakim Ajmal Khan	Discussed progress of Non-Cooperation
34	1922	Gaya	C. R. Das	Division after withdrawal of movement
35	1923	Delhi	Maulana Mohammad Ali	Supported Swaraj Party
36	1924	Belgaum	Mahatma Gandhi	Gandhi’s only Congress presidency
37	1925	Kanpur	Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel	Organizational strengthening
38	1926	Madras	S. Srinivas Iyengar	Peasant issues discussed
39	1927	Madras	M. A. Ansari	Decision to boycott Simon Commission
40	1928	Calcutta	Motilal Nehru	Nehru Report (Constitution Draft)
41	1929	Lahore	Jawaharlal Nehru	Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence) resolution
42	1931	Karachi	Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel	Approved Gandhi-Irwin Pact; Fundamental Rights adopted
43	1932	Delhi	Madan Mohan Malaviya	Discussion on Round Table Conference
44	1934	Bombay	Rajendra Prasad	Decision on provincial elections
45	1936	Lucknow	Jawaharlal Nehru	Socialism declared as Congress goal
46	1937	Faizpur	Jawaharlal Nehru	Focused on peasants and workers
47	1938	Haripura	Subhas Chandra Bose	National Planning Committee formed
48	1939	Tripuri	Rajendra Prasad (acting)	Bose resigned from presidency
49	1940	Ramgarh	Abul Kalam Azad	Opposed cooperation in WWII
50	1942	Bombay	Acharya J. B. Kripalani	Quit India Movement launched
51	1946	Meerut	J. B. Kripalani	Decision to join Interim Govt
52	1947	Delhi	J. B. Kripalani	Policies for free India declared

Significance

The 52 sessions chronicle India’s transformation from petitions to revolution.
The Congress became the political voice of the entire nation.
Resolutions like Swaraj (1906), Purna Swaraj (1929), and Quit India (1942) marked turning points.
Leadership evolved — Naoroji to Gandhi to Nehru — symbolizing political maturity.
These sessions created the democratic tradition that shaped India’s future government.

Criticism / Limitations

Early sessions were dominated by elites and lacked rural representation.
Internal divisions (Surat 1907, Tripuri 1939) weakened unity.
Some resolutions lacked immediate results due to British repression.

Key Points for Exams

Total Sessions – 52
First Session – 1885, Bombay, President: W. C. Banerjee
Last (Pre-Independence) Session – 1947, Delhi, President: J. B. Kripalani
“Swaraj” Demand – 1906 (Calcutta)
Lucknow Pact – 1916
Non-Cooperation – 1920 (Nagpur)
Purna Swaraj – 1929 (Lahore)
Fundamental Rights – 1931 (Karachi)
Quit India – 1942 (Bombay)

In Short

The 52 sessions of the Indian National Congress (1885–1947) reflected India’s political awakening and led step-by-step from reformist petitions to complete independence in 1947.