List of Presidents of the Indian National Congress

The Indian National Congress (INC) is one of the two major parties in the political system of Republic of India. The President of the Indian National Congress is the elected head of the party responsible for managing the party's relationship with the general public, developing and communicating party policy especially on election platforms. The President of the All India Congress Committee, and therefore of the Indian National Congress Party (INC) as a whole, is known as the Congress President.

Since the party was established in 1885, 60 people have served as president. The first, Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress held at Bombay in 1885 from 28 December to 31 December. The most recently serving president is Rahul Gandhi. The president of INC at the time of India's independence was J. B. Kripalani. Annie Besant was the first woman president of INC whereas, Sarojini Naidu was the first Indian woman president. There are six members of Nehru–Gandhi family who have been Congress Presidents.

History

During 1885–1933, the presidency had a term of 1 year only. Traditionally, the post rotated between prominent members of the party, successive terms for the same person being frowned upon. During Jawaharlal Nehru's premiership, he rarely held the Presidency of INC, even though he was always head of the Legislative Party.

Indira Gandhi however, institutionalized the practice of having the same person as the Congress President and the Prime Minister after the second Congress split of 1978. Her son Rajiv Gandhi continued that practice.

Narasimha Rao too held both the Congress President and the Prime Minister's posts. Sitaram Kesri held the post after INC was voted out. But as the INC never returned to power under his leadership, he didn't hold the two posts together.

During 2000–09, INC did not host a conference for the first time in history. In 2004, when the INC was voted back into power, Manmohan Singh became the first Prime Minister, not to be the president of the party. Sonia Gandhi is the longest serving president of the Congress party, having held the office byfor nineteen years from 1998 to 2017.[1] Her son Rahul Gandhi is the current Congress President.

Presidents

No. Name of President Picture Life span Year of Presidency Place of Conference
1 Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee 29 December 1844 – 1906 1885 Bombay
2 Dadabhai Naoroji 4 September 1825 – 1917 1886 Calcutta
3 Badruddin Tyabji 10 October 1844 – 1906 1887 Madras
4 George Yule 1829–1892 1888 Allahabad
5 William Wedderburn 1838–1918 1889 Bombay
6 Pherozeshah Mehta 4 August 1845 – 1915 1890 Calcutta
7 Anandacharlu August 1843 – 1908 1891 Nagpur
8 Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee 29 December 1844 – 1906 1892 Allahabad
9 Dadabhai Naoroji 4 September 1825 – 1917 1893 Lahore
10 Alfred Webb 1834–1908 1894 Madras
11 Surendranath Banerjee 10 November 1848 – 1925 1895 Poona
12 Rahimtulla M. Sayani 5 April 1847 – 1902 1896 Calcutta
13 C. Sankaran Nair 11 July 1857 – 1934 1897 Amravati
14 Anandamohan Bose 23 September 1847 – 1906 1898 Madras
15 Romesh Chunder Dutt 13 August 1848 – 1909 1899 Lucknow
16 N. G. Chandavarkar 2 December 1855 – 1923 1900 Lahore
17 Dinshaw Edulji Wacha 2 August 1844 – 1936 1901 Calcutta
18 Surendranath Banerjee 10 November 1825 – 1917 1902 Ahmedabad
19 Lalmohan Ghosh 1848–1909 1903 Madras
20 Henry Cotton 1845–1915 1904 Bombay
21 Gopal Krishna Gokhale 9 May 1866 – 1915 1905 Benares
22 Dadabhai Naoroji 4 September 1825 – 1917 1906 Calcutta
23 Rashbihari Ghosh 23 December 1845 – 1921 1907 Surat
24 Rashbihari Ghosh 23 December 1845 – 1921 1908 Madras
25 Madan Mohan Malaviya 25 December 1861 – 1946 1909 Lahore
26 William Wedderburn 1838–1918 1910 Allahabad
27 Bishan Narayan Dar 1864–1916 1911 Calcutta
28 Raghunath Narasinha Mudholkar 1857–1921 1912 Bankipore
29 Nawab Syed Muhammad Bahadur ?–1919 1913 Karachi
30 Bhupendra Nath Bose 1859–1924 1914 Madras
31 Lord Satyendra Prasanna Sinha March 1863 – 1928 1915 Bombay
32 Ambica Charan Mazumdar 1850–1922 1916 Lucknow
33 Annie Besant 1 October 1847 – 1933 1917 Calcutta
34 Madan Mohan Malaviya 25 December 1861 – 1946 1918 Delhi
35 Syed Hasan Imam 31 August 1871 – 1933 1918 Bombay (Special Session)
36 Motilal Nehru 6 May 1861 – 6 February 1931 1919 Amritsar
37 Lala Lajpat Rai 28 January 1865 – 17 November 1928 1920 Calcutta (Special Session)
38 C. Vijayaraghavachariar 1852 – 19 April 1944 1920 Nagpur
39 Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das (President)

Hakim Ajmal Khan (Acting President)

 1863 – 29 December 1927 1921 Ahmedabad
40 Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das 5 November 1870 – 16 June 1925 1922 Gaya
41 Mohammad Ali Jouhar 10 December 1878 – 4 January 1931 1923 Kakinada
42 Abul Kalam Azad 1888 – 22 February 1958 1923 Delhi (Special Session)
43 Mohandas Gandhi 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948 1924 Belgaum
44 Sarojini Naidu 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949 1925 Kanpur
45 S. Srinivasa Iyengar September 11, 1874 – 19 May 1941 1926 Gauhati
46 Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari 25 December 1880 – 10 May 1936 1927 Madras
47 Motilal Nehru 6 May 1861 – 6 February 1931 1928 Calcutta
48 Jawaharlal Nehru 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964 1929 & 30 Lahore
49 Vallabhbhai Patel 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950 1931 Karachi
50 Madan Mohan Malaviya 25 December 1861 – 1946 1932 Delhi
51 Nellie Sengupta 1886–1973 1933 Calcutta
52 Rajendra Prasad 3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963 1934 & 35 Bombay
53 Jawaharlal Nehru 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964 1936 Lucknow
54 Jawaharlal Nehru 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964 1936 Faizpur
55 Subhas Chandra Bose 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 1938 Haripura
56 Subhas Chandra Bose (resigned)
Rajendra Prasad replaced Bose after
the session.		 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 1939 Tripuri near Jabalpur
57 Abul Kalam Azad 1888 – 22 February 1958 1940–46 Ramgarh
58 J. B. Kripalani 1888 – 19 March 1982 1947 Meerut
59 Pattabhi Sitaraimayya 24 December 1880 – 17 December 1959 1948 & 49 Jaipur
60 Purushottam Das Tandon 1 August 1882 – 1 July 1961 1950 Nasik
61 Jawaharlal Nehru 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964 1951 & 52 Delhi
62 Jawaharlal Nehru 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964 1953 Hyderabad
63 Jawaharlal Nehru 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964 1954 Calcutta
64 U. N. Dhebar 21 September 1905 – 1977 1955 Avadi
65 U. N. Dhebar 21 September 1905 – 1977 1956 Amritsar
66 U. N. Dhebar 21 September 1905 – 1977 1957 Indore
67 U. N. Dhebar 21 September 1905 – 1977 1958 Gauhati
68 U. N. Dhebar 21 September 1905 – 1977 1959 Nagpur
69 Indira Gandhi 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984 1959 Delhi (Special Session)
70 Neelam Sanjiva Reddy 19 May 1913 – 1 June 1996 1960 Bangalore
71 Neelam Sanjiva Reddy 19 May 1913 – 1 June 1996 1961 Bhavnagar
72 Neelam Sanjiva Reddy 19 May 1913 – 1 June 1996 1962 & 63 Patna
73 K. Kamaraj 15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975 1964 Bhubaneswar
74 K. Kamaraj 15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975 1965 Durgapur
75 K. Kamaraj 15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975 1966 & 67 Jaipur
76 S. Nijalingappa 10 December 1902 – 9 August 2000 1968 Hyderabad
77 S. Nijalingappa 10 December 1902 – 9 August 2000 1969 Faridabad
78 Jagjivan Ram 5 April 1908 – 6 July 1986 1970 & 71 Bombay
79 Shankar Dayal Sharma 19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999 1972–74 Calcutta
80 Devakanta Barua 22 February 1914 – 1996 1975–77 Chandigarh
81 Kasu Brahmananda Reddy 28 July 1909 -1994 1977-1978
82 Indira Gandhi 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984 1978–83 Delhi
83 Indira Gandhi 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984 1983 & 84 Calcutta
84 Rajiv Gandhi 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991 1985–91 Bombay
85 P. V. Narasimha Rao 28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004 1992–96 Tirupati
86 Sitaram Kesri November 1919 – 24 October 2000 1996–98 Calcutta
87 Sonia Gandhi 9 December 1946 1998–2017 Calcutta
88 Rahul Gandhi 19 June 1970 2017 -Present Delhi

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Sonia Gandhi (Indian politician)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  • Official Indian National Congress website
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