The Indian National Congress (INC) is a major, broadly based political party in India, and is one of the world's oldest continuously active political parties. It was founded on December 28, 1885, in Bombay, with its first session presided over by Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee. The INC's origin was driven by the need to create a platform for civic and political dialogue between educated Indians and the British Raj, initially aiming for moderate reform and a greater share in government for Indians. The problem it solved was providing an all-India platform for nationalist aspirations, evolving from a moderate body into the principal leader of the Indian independence movement after 1920 under Mahatma Gandhi.
As a modern political party, the INC is hierarchically structured, with delegates from state and district parties attending an annual national conference that elects the party president and the All India Congress Committee (AICC). The powerful Congress Working Committee (CWC), which includes the party president and former presidents, wields significant influence, with a quorum of 12 members. The INC is connected to the history of the Indian state, having dominated Indian politics and formed most of India's governments after independence in 1947. Its post-independence ideology has traditionally supported secularism and social justice, initially favoring socialist economic policies within a mixed economy, but shifting toward market reforms in the 1990s. Recently, the party has seen organizational changes, such as the amendment of its constitution in March 2023 to increase the membership subscription from Rs. 5.00 to Rs. 10.00 and to restructure its territorial divisions, including the insertion of Telangana as a Pradesh. The INC's electoral performance saw a significant improvement in the 2024 General Election, where it won 99 seats, forming the official opposition.