List of presidents of the Indian National Congress explained

Post:President
Body:the Indian National Congress
Insignia:Indian National Congress hand logo.svg
Insigniasize:150px
Flagsize:30
Incumbent:Mallikarjun Kharge
Residence:24 Akbar Road, New Delhi
Appointer:Committee consisting of members of the Indian National Congress from the National and State Committees
Termlength:no term limit
Constituting Instrument:Constitution of the Indian National Congress[1]
Precursor:Sonia Gandhi
First:Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee (1885–1886)

The president of the Indian National Congress is the chief executive of the Indian National Congress (INC), one of the principal political parties in India.[1] Constitutionally, the president is elected by an electoral college composed of members drawn from the Pradesh Congress Committees and members of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).[2] In the event of any emergency because of any cause such as the death or resignation of the president elected as above, the most senior general secretary discharges the routine functions of the president until the Working Committee appoints a provisional president pending the election of a regular president by the AICC.[2] The president of the party has effectively been the party's national leader, head of the party's organisation, head of the Working Committee, the chief spokesman, and all chief Congress committees.[3]

After the party's foundation in December 1885, Womesh Chandra Banerjee became its first president. From 1885 to 1933, the presidency had a term of one year only. From 1933 onwards, there was no such fixed term for the president.[4] During Jawaharlal Nehru's premiership, he rarely held the Presidency of INC, even though he was always head of the Parliamentary Party. Despite being a party with a structure, Congress under Indira Gandhi did not hold any organisational elections after 1978.[5] In 1978, Gandhi split from the INC and formed a new opposition party, popularly called Congress (I), which the national election commission declared to be the real Indian National Congress for the 1980 general election.[6] [7] [8] Gandhi institutionalised the practice of having the same person as the Congress president and the prime minister of India after the formation of Congress (I).[9] Her successors Rajiv Gandhi and P. V. Narasimha Rao also continued that practice. Nonetheless, in 2004, when the Congress was voted back into power, Manmohan Singh became the first and only prime minister not to be the president of the party since establishment of the practice of the president holding both positions.[10]

A total of 61 people have served as the president of the Indian National Congress since its formation.[11] Sonia Gandhi is the longest serving president of the party, having held the office for over twenty years from 1998 to 2017 and from 2019 to 2022. The latest election of president was held on 17 October 2022,[12] in which Mallikarjun Kharge became the new president defeating Shashi Tharoor in the 2022 Indian National Congress presidential election.[13]

List of party presidents

The founding years (1885–1900)

List of presidents during 1885–1900
Year(s) of presidencyLeaderPortraitPlace of conferenceReference(s)[14]
1December 1885[15]
[16]
[17]
2December 1886Calcutta[18]
3December 1887Madras[19]
[20]
4December 1888 Allahabad[21]
5December 1889[22]
6December 1890Calcutta
7December 1891Nagpur[23]
8December 1892Womesh Chandra Banerjee

9December 1893Dadabhai NaorojiLahore
10December 1894Madras
11December 1895Poona
12December 1896Calcutta
13December 1897 Amaravati[24]
14December 1898Madras
15December 1899Lucknow
16December 1900Lahore

The pre-independence era (1901–1947)

List of presidents during 1901–1947
Year(s) of presidencyNamePortraitPlace of conferenceReference(s)
17December 1901Calcutta[25]
18December 1902Ahmedabad
19December 1903Madras
20December 1904Bombay[26]
21December 1905Benares
22December 1906Calcutta
23December 1907Surat
24December 1908Madras
25December 1909Lahore
26December 1910Allahabad
27December 1911Calcutta
28December 1912Bankipore
29December 1913Karachi
30April 1914Madras
31December 1915Bombay
32December 1916Lucknow
33December 1917Calcutta
34August 1918Bombay (special session)
35December 1918Delhi
36December 1919Amritsar
371920Calcutta (Special Session)
38December 1920Nagpur[27]
39December 1921Ahmedabad
40December 1922Gaya
411923Kakinada
42September 1923Delhi (Special Session)
43December 1924Belgaum[28]
44April 1925 Kanpur
45December 1926Guwahati
46December 1927Madras
471928Calcutta
481929
491930Karachi
501931Karachi
511932Delhi
521933Calcutta[29]
531934Bombay[30]
541935Lucknow
551936Lucknow
561937Faizpur
571938Haripura
581939Tewar, Madhya Pradesh
(then Tripuri)
591939 (March)Tewar, Madhya Pradesh
(then Tripuri)
601940–46Duration of World war 2Ramgarh
611946 (July-Sept)Jawaharlal Nehru[31]
621946Meerut[32]
631947

The post-independence era (1948–present)

List of presidents since independence
Year(s) of PresidencyNamePortraitPlace of ConferenceReference(s)
641948Jaipur
651949Jaipur
661950Nashik
671951Delhi[33]
[34]
681952Delhi
691953Hyderabad
701954Kalyani
711955Avadi
721956Amritsar
731957Indore
741958Gauhati
751959Nagpur
761959Delhi (special session)[35]
[36]
731960
741961Bhavnagar
751962–1963Patna
761964Bhubaneswar
771965Durgapur
781966–1967Jaipur
791968Hyderabad
801969Faridabad
811970–1971Mumbai
821972–74Kolkata
831975–77Chandigarh
841977–78Chandigarh[37]
851978–83Indira Gandhi
851983Kolkata
861985–1991Mumbai[38]
[39]
[40]
871992Tirupati
881993Surajkund
891994Delhi
901996–1998Kolkata
911998–2001New Delhi[41]
[42]
922001–2004Bengaluru
932004–2006New Delhi
942006–2010Hyderabad
952010–2017New Delhi
962017–2019New Delhi[43]
972019–2022Sonia GandhiJaipur
982022–IncumbentMallikarjun KhargeNew Delhi[44]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Constitution & Rules of the Indian National Congress . Indian National Congress . 13 May 2021 . 13 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210513160303/https://cdn.inc.in/constitutions/inc_constitution_files/000/000/001/original/Congress-Constitution.pdf?1505640610 . live .
  2. Web site: Explained: a Congress president — how these polls are meant to be held, how it plays out. C G. Manoj. 3 February 2021. The Indian Express. Indian Express Group. 22 May 2021. 5 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210305014558/https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/congress-president-election-cwc-party-chief-rahul-gandhi-sonia-gandhi-7169318/. live.
  3. Book: Kumar, Kedar Nath. [{{Google books|x3pJ8t4rxIsC|page=PA41|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} Political Parties in India, Their Ideology and Organisation]. 1 January 1990. Mittal Publications. 978-81-7099-205-9. 41–43.
  4. Web site: Remembering WC Bonnerjee, the first president of Indian National Congress. Mondal. Manisha. 29 December 2018. 28 May 2021. 2 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214509/https://theprint.in/theprint-profile/remembering-wc-bonnerjee-the-first-president-of-indian-national-congress/169499/. live.
  5. Book: Sanghvi, Vijay. The Congress Indira to Sonia Gandhi. 2006. Kalpaz Publications. Delhi. 978-81-7835-340-1. 128. 4 November 2016. 14 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210414155213/https://books.google.com/books?id=npdqD_TXucQC&q=%22internal+democracy%22&pg=PA7. live.
  6. Book: Basu, Manisha. [{{Google books|E7gtDQAAQBAJ|page=PA73|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} The Rhetoric of Hindutva]. 2 November 2016. Cambridge University Press. 978-1-107-14987-8. 73.
  7. Book: Statistical Report on General Elections, 1980 to the Seventh Lok Sabha . . 1 . 9 June 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140718175926/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1980/Vol_I_LS_80.pdf . 18 July 2014.
  8. Web site: Postindependence: from dominance to decline. Britannica.com. Encyclopædia Britannica. 23 September 2020. 24 June 2014. 8 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150508094509/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285841/Indian-National-Congress/232140/Postindependence-from-dominance-to-decline. live.
  9. News: Indira Gandhi installed as president of break-away faction of Congress Party. Chakravartty. Nikhil. 31 January 1978. India Today. Living Media India Limited. 22 May 2021. 14 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210514160552/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19780131-indira-gandhi-installed-as-president-of-break-away-faction-of-congress-party-818678-2015-04-21. live.
  10. News: Goodbye, Rahul Gandhi?. India Today. Living Media India Limited. 8 July 2019. Deka. Kaushik. 22 May 2021. 13 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210513155138/https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/india-today-insight/story/rahul-gandhi-congress-president-gandhi-chief-1564307-2019-07-08. live.
  11. News: Indian National Congress: From 1885 till 2017, a brief history of past presidents. 5 December 2017. The Indian Express. Indian Express Group. 6 June 2021. 14 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210514161101/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/here-is-a-list-of-past-presidents-of-indian-national-congress-4967084/. live.
  12. News: Congress to elect new president on Oct 17, results on Oct 19 | India News - Times of India . The Times of India. 28 August 2022 .
  13. News: 19 October 2022 . Mallikarjun Kharge Is Chief - Congress Sticks To What It Knows . NDTV . 19 October 2022.
  14. Web site: Congress Sessions. All India Congress Committee . 6 February 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100206045145/http://www.congress.org.in/congress-sessions.php. 6 February 2010. 29 May 2021.
  15. Book: Nanda, B. R.. Bal Ram Nanda. Gokhale: The Indian Moderates and the British Raj. Legacy Series. In 1874, he became Prime Minister of Baroda and was a member of the Legislative Council of Bombay (1885–88).2015. Princeton University Press. 978-1-4008-7049-3. 58. 1977. 4 December 2019. 29 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200729204414/https://books.google.com/books?id=pI19BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA58. live.
  16. Book: Mahmud, Sayed Jafar. Pillars of Modern India, 1757–1947. 1994. APH Publishing. 978-81-7024-586-5. 19. 4 December 2019. 13 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210513055341/https://books.google.com/books?id=w8XPyBqxwX8C&pg=PA19. live.
  17. Web site: W. C. Bonnerjee . open.ac.uk . Open University . 15 May 2021 . 15 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210515141255/https://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/content/w-c-bonnerjee . live .
  18. Book: Nanda, B. R.. Bal Ram Nanda. Gokhale: The Indian Moderates and the British Raj. Legacy Series. 2015. Princeton University Press. 978-1-4008-7049-3. 58. 1977. 4 December 2019. 29 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200729204414/https://books.google.com/books?id=pI19BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA58. live.
  19. Book: Eminent Mussalmans. Anonymous. 1926. 1. G.A. Natesan & Co.. Madras. 97–112. 462824439.
  20. Web site: Presidential speech to the Indian National Congress, 1887. Tyabji. Badruddin. columbia.edu. Columbia University. 1 May 2017. 22 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170222145046/http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00litlinks/txt_tyabji_congress_1887.html. live.
  21. Book: Hall, Catherine. Sonya O. Rose. Sonya O. Rose. At Home with the Empire: Metropolitan Culture and the Imperial World. 2006. Cambridge University Press. 978-1-139-46009-5. 281. 4 December 2019. 13 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210513055339/https://books.google.com/books?id=2oVCvtC1zAEC&pg=PA281. live.
  22. News: Hemant . Singh . List of Sessions of Indian National Congress before Independence (1885–1947) . 15 May 2021 . Jagran Josh . Jagran Prakashan Limited . Dainik Jagran . 8 April 2021 . 15 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210515142512/https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/list-of-sessions-of-indian-national-congress-before-independence-1465561993-1 . live .
  23. News: Dadabhai Naoroji to Nehru; Indira to Sonia: Profiles of Congress presidents . 15 May 2021 . Hindustan Times . HT Media Ltd . 11 December 2017 . 15 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210515141252/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/dadabhai-naoroji-to-nehru-indira-to-sonia-profiles-of-congress-presidents/story-LmoaxHk12wrsFvTubRrFpL.html . live .
  24. News: Prashant . Rangnekar . All the Congress presidents: from family to foreigners . 15 May 2021 . PTI . Outlook (Indian magazine) . 11 December 2017 . 15 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210515145017/https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/all-the-congress-presidents-from-family-to-foreigners/1206771 . live .
  25. News: Nergish . Sunavala . Nobody learns Parsi history in schools, says historian . 15 May 2021 . The Times of India . The Times Group . 25 January 2015 . 15 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210515143510/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/nobody-learns-parsi-history-in-schools-says-historian/articleshow/46007191.cms . live .
  26. News: Indian National Congress: 12 facts about one of the oldest political parties of the country . 15 May 2021 . India Today . Living Media India Limited . 28 December 2017 . 23 June 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180623193857/https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/indian-national-congress-was-formed-on-this-day-facts-about-inc-1117601-2017-12-28 . live .
  27. News: Kanishka . Singh . Indian National Congress: From 1885 till 2017, a brief history of past presidents . 15 May 2021 . The Indian Express . Indian Express Group . 5 December 2017 . 14 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210514161101/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/here-is-a-list-of-past-presidents-of-indian-national-congress-4967084/ . live .
  28. News: Parameswaran Thankappan . Nair . Gandhi – The Calcutta Connection . 15 May 2021 . The Telegraph (Kolkata) . ABP Group . 31 January 2021 . 15 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210515143905/https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/books/gandhi-the-calcutta-connection/cid/1805208 . live .
  29. Web site: Mrs. Nellie Sengupta, Past Presidents, Indian National Congress . Indian National Congress . 4 December 2019 . 4 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191204144520/https://www.inc.in/en/leadership/past-party-president/mrs-nellie-sengupta . dead .
  30. News: Dr Rajendra Prasad Birth Anniversary: All about India's first President . 15 May 2021 . India Today . Living Media India Limited . 3 December 2020 . 15 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210515150852/https://www.indiatoday.in/information/story/dr-rajendra-prasad-birth-anniversary-all-about-india-s-first-president-1746308-2020-12-03 . live .
  31. Web site: 2017-12-04 . Indian National Congress: From 1885 till 2017, a brief history of past presidents . 2024-01-21 . The Indian Express . en.
  32. News: Sruthi . Radhakrishnan . Presidents of Congress past: A look at the party's presidency since 1947 . 15 May 2021 . The Hindu . The Hindu Group . 14 December 2017 . 1 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200801221210/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/presidents-of-congress-past-a-look-at-the-partys-presidency-since-1947/article21639174.ece . live .
  33. Web site: Shri Jawaharlal Nehru . Prime Minister's Office (India) . 15 May 2021 . 1 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200901193222/https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/former_pm/shri-jawaharlal-nehru/ . live .
  34. News: Rudrangshu . Mukherjee . Not really Nehru, it was Gandhi and Congress 'Right' who made Bose resign as party president . 15 May 2021 . ThePrint . 30 January 2021 . 20 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210720021218/https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/not-really-nehru-it-was-gandhi-and-congress-right-who-made-bose-resign-as-party-president/594191/ . live .
  35. Web site: Smt. Indira Gandhi . Prime Minister's Office (India) . 15 May 2021 . 23 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210423155248/https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/former_pm/smt-indira-gandhi/ . live .
  36. News: Who Was Indira Gandhi . 15 May 2021 . Business Standard . Business Standard Private Limited . ABP Group . 15 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210515151215/https://www.business-standard.com/about/who-is-indira-gandhi . live .
  37. Web site: Congress President Elections: History of Six Congress Elections .
  38. Web site: Shri Rajiv Gandhi . Prime Minister's Office (India) . 15 May 2021 . 1 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200901194747/https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/former_pm/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80-%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5-%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%80/ . live .
  39. News: Sumit . Mitra . Count-down to centenary celebration of Indian National Congress in Bombay begins . 28 May 2021 . India Today . Living Media India Limited . 16 January 2014 . 19 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210819173638/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19851115-count-down-to-centenary-celebration-of-indian-national-congress-in-bombay-begins-802130-2014-01-16 . live .
  40. News: Let the comparisons begin: Let the comparisons begin: Full text of Rajiv Gandhi's famous 1985 speech . 28 May 2021 . India Today . Living Media India Limited . 21 January 2013 . 26 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201126020526/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/full-text-of-rajiv-gandhis-famous-1985-speech-152145-2013-01-21 . live .
  41. News: Sonia Gandhi named interim Congress president . 15 May 2021 . Doordarshan . Prasar Bharti . 11 August 2019 . 15 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210515151724/http://ddnews.gov.in/national/sonia-gandhi-named-interim-congress-president . live .
  42. News: J. . Jagannath . Sonia Gandhi to continue as Congress president for now . 15 May 2021 . Mint (newspaper) . HT Media . 24 August 2020 . 15 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210515151714/https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/sonia-gandhi-to-continue-as-congress-president-for-now-11598273565592.html . live .
  43. News: Rahul Gandhi only leader who can take over as Congress president: Ripun Bora . 15 May 2021 . The Hindu . The Hindu Group . 16 February 2021 . 15 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210515151940/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/rahul-gandhi-only-leader-who-can-take-over-as-congress-president-ripun-bora/article33851242.ece . live .
  44. Web site: 2022-10-19 . LIVE: Shashi Tharoor concedes Congress president poll defeat, wishes Mallikarjun Kharge 'all success' . 2022-10-19 . Hindustan Times . en.

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