Indian National Congress
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|
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President | Sonia Gandhi |
Parliamentary Chairperson | Sonia Gandhi |
Lok Sabha leader | Mallikarjun Kharge |
Rajya Sabha leader | Ghulam Nabi Azad |
Founded | 28 December 1885 |
Headquarters | 24, Akbar Road, New Delhi 110001 |
Newspaper | Congress Sandesh |
Student wing | National Students Union of India |
Youth wing | Indian Youth Congress |
Women's wing | Mahila Congress |
Labour wing | Indian National Trade Union Congress |
Membership | c. 20 million |
Ideology |
Social democracy Democratic socialism Social liberalism Gandhian socialism Secularism |
Political position | Centre-left |
International affiliation |
Progressive Alliance Socialist International |
Colours | Sky blue |
ECI Status | National Party |
Alliance | United Progressive Alliance (UPA) |
Seats in Lok Sabha |
45 / 545
(currently 543 members + 1 Speaker) |
Seats in Rajya Sabha |
60 / 245
(currently 244 members) |
Election symbol | |
Website | |
www |
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The Indian National Congress ( pronunciation ) (INC, often called Congress), is one of two major political parties in India; the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Congress was founded in 1885 during the British Raj; its founders include Allan Octavian Hume (a prominent member of the Theosophical Society), Dadabhai Naoroji and Dinshaw Wacha. In the late nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth centuries, Congress became a pivotal participant in the Indian independence movement, with over 15 million members and over 70 million participants in its opposition to British colonial rule in India.
After independence in 1947, Congress became India's dominant political party; as of 2015[update], in the 15 general elections since independence, it has won an outright majority on six occasions and has led the ruling coalition a further four times, heading the central government for 49 years. There have been seven Congress Prime Ministers, the first being Jawaharlal Nehru (1947–64), and the most recent Manmohan Singh (2004–14). The party's social liberal platform is generally considered to be on the centre-left of Indian politics.