Who helped found the Indian National Congress in 1885?

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Mahatma Gandhi, holding a walking stick, walks beside Sarojini Naidu during the Salt March protest in 1930, with several men following behind them. — Indian National Congress Indian National Congress leaders Mahatma Gandhi (left) and Sarojini Naidu (right) on the Salt March in western India, March 1930.

The Indian National Congress was founded in December 1885 through the collaborative efforts of a retired British civil servant, Allan Octavian Hume, and prominent Indian nationalist leaders, most notably Dadabhai Naoroji and Surendranath Banerjee.12

Established as a forum for educated Indians to discuss political issues and advocate for greater participation in governance, the party held its first meeting in Mumbai (then Bombay) with 72 delegates in attendance. W.C. Bonnerjee served as the president of this inaugural session.12