Sessions of Indian National Congress

Session

Year

President

Place

Important Characteristics

First Session

1885

Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee

Bombay (Mumbai)

Formation of the Indian National Congress.

Second Session

1886

Dadabhai Naoroji

Calcutta (Kolkata)

Adoption of the goal of “Self-Government” for India.

Third Session

1887

Dadabhai Naoroji

Madras (Chennai)

Demand for Indian representation in the Imperial Legislature.

Fourth Session

1888

George Yule

Allahabad

Formation of the Indian National Congress Association.

Fifth Session

1889

Sir William Wedderburn

Bombay (Mumbai)

Demand for administrative reforms and local self-government.

Sixth Session

1890

Pherozeshah Mehta

Calcutta (Kolkata)

Focus on social reform and education.

Seventh Session

1891

Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee

Nagpur

Advocacy for civil rights and constitutional reforms.

Eighth Session

1892

Dadabhai Naoroji

Allahabad

Demand for economic justice and Indian representation in the Legislative Councils.

Ninth Session

1893

Dadabhai Naoroji

Lahore

Highlighted issues of poverty, famines, and education.

Tenth Session

1894

Alfred Webb

Madras (Chennai)

Focus on economic issues, including land revenue systems.

Eleventh Session

1895

Surendranath Banerjee

Poona (Pune)

Advocacy for Indianization of civil services.

Twelfth Session

1896

Rahimtulla M. Sayani

Calcutta (Kolkata)

Stressed on the need for political reforms.

Thirteenth Session

1897

C. Sankaran Nair

Amraoti (Amravati)

Advocated for the protection of Indian industries.

Fourteenth Session

1898

Ananda Mohan Bose

Madras (Chennai)

Discussed the importance of the Swadeshi movement.

Fifteenth Session

1899

R. C. Dutt

Lucknow

Focused on the promotion of national education.

Sixteenth Session

1900

Nawab Syed Muhammad Bahadur

Lahore

Emphasized on communal harmony and national unity.

Seventeenth Session

1901

Dinshaw Edulji Wacha

Calcutta (Kolkata)

Addressed issues of economic exploitation.

Eighteenth Session

1902

Surendranath Banerjee

Ahmedabad

Advocated for the promotion of cottage industries.

Nineteenth Session

1903

Lala Lajpat Rai

Madras (Chennai)

Demanded for the reversal of Partition of Bengal.

Twentieth Session

1904

Henry John Stedman Cotton

Bombay (Mumbai)

Called for political unity among Indians.

Twenty-first Session

1905

Gopal Krishna Gokhale

Banaras (Varanasi)

Focused on the abolition of the partition of Bengal.

Twenty-second Session

1906

Dadabhai Naoroji

Calcutta (Kolkata)

Establishment of All India Muslim League.

Twenty-third Session

1907

Rashbihari Ghosh

Surat

Split between the moderates and extremists.

Twenty-fourth Session

1908

Rashbihari Ghosh

Madras (Chennai)

Emphasis on the use of boycott as a political weapon.

Twenty-fifth Session

1909

Madan Mohan Malaviya

Lahore

Acceptance of Morley-Minto Reforms.

Twenty-sixth Session

1910

Sir William Wedderburn

Allahabad

Advocacy for constitutional reforms.

Twenty-seventh Session

1911

Bishan Narayan Dar

Calcutta (Kolkata)

Support for Home Rule League.

Twenty-eighth Session

1912

Rahimtulla M. Sayani

Bankipore (Patna)

Call for the abolition of the Arms Act.

Twenty-ninth Session

1913

Bhupendra Nath Bose

Karachi

Advocacy for Indianization of the Indian Army.

Thirtieth Session

1914

Satyendra Prasanno Sinha

Madras (Chennai)

Passage of the resolution on the Home Rule.

Thirty-first Session

1915

Ambica Charan Mazumdar

Bombay (Mumbai)

Support for the Home Rule Movement.

Thirty-second Session

1916

Annie Besant

Lucknow

Formation of the Lucknow Pact between Congress and Muslim League.

Thirty-third Session

1917

Madan Mohan Malaviya

Calcutta (Kolkata)

Advocacy for reforms in legislative councils.

Thirty-fourth Session

1918

Syed Hasan Imam

Delhi

Advocacy for the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms.

Thirty-fifth Session

1919

Motilal Nehru

Amritsar

Rejection of the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Thirty-sixth Session

1920

C. Vijayaraghavachariar

Nagpur

Launch of Non-Cooperation Movement.

Thirty-seventh Session

1921

Hakim Ajmal Khan

Ahmedabad

Advocacy for constructive work and Khilafat Movement.

Thirty-eighth Session

1922

CR Das

Gaya

Formation of Swaraj Party

Thirty-ninth Session

1923

Abul Kalam Azad

Kakinada

Support for the Swarajist Party.

Fortieth Session

1924

Mahatama Gandhi

Belgaum

Only session presided by Mahatama Gandhi

Forty-first Session

1925

Sarojini Naidu

Kanpur

First Indian Woman President

Forty-second Session

1926

S. Srinivasa Iyengar

Gauhati (Guwahati)

Rejection of the Simon Commission.

Forty-third Session

1927

Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari

Madras (Chennai)

Demand for full responsible government in India.

Forty-fourth Session

1928

Motilal Nehru

Calcutta (Kolkata)

Adoption of Nehru Report for constitutional reforms, Formation of All India Youth Congress

Forty-fifth Session

1929

Jawaharlal Nehru

Lahore

Adoption of complete independence as Congress goal (Purna Swaraj).

Forty-sixth Session

1930

Vallabhbhai Patel

Karachi

Launch of Civil Disobedience Movement.

Forty-seventh Session

1931

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Karachi

Resolutions on Fundamental Rights and National Economic Programme, Gandhi-Irwin Pact and suspension of Civil Disobedience Movement.

Forty-eighth Session

1932

Madan Mohan Malaviya

Delhi

Decision to participate in the Round Table Conferences.

Forty-ninth Session

1933

Nellie Sengupta

Calcutta (Kolkata)

Demand for the release of political prisoners.

Fiftieth Session

1934

Rajendra Prasad

Bombay (Mumbai)

Emphasis on the need for agrarian reforms,Amendment in the Constitution of Congress

Fifty-first Session

1935

Jawaharlal Nehru

Lucknow

Advocacy for the promotion of social justice.

Fifty-second Session

1936

Jawaharlal Nehru

Faizpur

First session conducted in a village

Fifty-third Session

1937

Jawaharlal Nehru

Fyzabad

Advocacy for the establishment of a planned economy.

Fifty-fourth Session

1938

Subhas Chandra Bose

Haripura

National Planning Committee set up under Jawahar Lal Nehru

Fifty-fifth Session

1939

Rajendra Prasad

Tripuri

Resignation of Subhash Chandra Bose from Congress Presidency.

Fifty-sixth Session

1940

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Ramgarh

Advocacy for the individual Satyagraha Movement, Phase of constitutional negotiations such as Cripps Mission, Wavell Plan and Cabinet Mission.

Fifty-seventh Session

1946

Acharya J. B. Kripalani

Meerut

Passage of the resolution accepting the Cabinet Mission Plan.

Fifty-eighth Session

1947

Jawaharlal Nehru

Delhi

Adoption of a resolution for Indian independence.

 

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