Indian National Congress

Introduction & Top Questions
History
- The pre-independence period
  - The moderate years
  - The extremist faction emerges
  - The Surat split
  - Gandhi’s civil disobedience
  - The demand for Purna Swaraj
  - Independence for India
- Postindependence dominance of the Nehru clan
- The party since 1991
- State politics
Policy and structure

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Mahatma Gandhi, holding a walking stick, walks beside Sarojini Naidu during the Salt March protest in 1930, with several men following behind them.

Collage of raised-fist silhouettes over a halftone orange, yellow, and green background, featuring historic newspaper text and faint crowd imagery.

Large group portrait of delegates to the First Indian National Congress in Bombay, 1885, seated and standing in rows on steps in front of a building.

The “Lal Bal Pal” trio

President Harry Truman shakes hands with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on an airport tarmac, with Madame Pandit and Indira Gandhi standing nearby.

Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, in a formal Nehru jacket, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Sonia Gandhi, Hillary Clinton, Karan Singh, and Rahul Gandhi

Two pie charts showing 2024 Indian Lok Sabha election results. Left: BJP 240, Congress 99, Others 204. Right: NDA 293, UPA/INDIA 234, Others 16.

At a Glance

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Indian National Congress summary

Indian National Congress: Media

political party, India

Videos

Collage of raised-fist silhouettes over a halftone orange, yellow, and green background, featuring historic newspaper text and faint crowd imagery.

How India Finally Won a 200-year Fight for Independence

In August 1947 British rule ended on the Indian subcontinent.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Images

Mahatma Gandhi, holding a walking stick, walks beside Sarojini Naidu during the Salt March protest in 1930, with several men following behind them.

Mahatma Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu

Indian National Congress leaders Mahatma Gandhi (left) and Sarojini Naidu (right)...

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Large group portrait of delegates to the First Indian National Congress in Bombay, 1885, seated and standing in rows on steps in front of a building.

Indian National Congress, 1885

The first meeting of the Indian National Congress, in Bombay (now Mumbai), on December...

© Pictures from History—Universal Images Group/Getty Images

The “Lal Bal Pal” trio

The “Lal Bal Pal” trio

From left: Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Bipin Chandra Pal

© Historic Collection/Alamy

President Harry Truman shakes hands with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on an airport tarmac, with Madame Pandit and Indira Gandhi standing nearby.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Harry S. Truman

The first Indian prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru (second from right), being greeted...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, in a formal Nehru jacket, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Rajiv Gandhi

Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi addressing the 48th plenary meeting of the General...

Yutaka Nagata/UN Photo

Sonia Gandhi, Hillary Clinton, Karan Singh, and Rahul Gandhi

Sonia Gandhi, Hillary Clinton, Karan Singh, and Rahul Gandhi

President of the Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi (second from left) with (from...

U.S. Department of State

Interactives

Two pie charts showing 2024 Indian Lok Sabha election results. Left: BJP 240, Congress 99, Others 204. Right: NDA 293, UPA/INDIA 234, Others 16.

2024, 2019, and 2014 Lok Sabha election results

The Congress Party, which led the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), performed only...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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