Indian National Congress
Also called: INC, Congress · Topic: Political Parties, Party Systems and Anti-defection · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 4 "Political Parties"
Meaning
The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded in 1885 and is one of the oldest political parties in the world. It is a centrist party, meaning it stands in the middle between left and right. It led the freedom struggle and dominated Indian politics from 1952 to 1967. It is one of India's six national parties today.
Example
In 1969 the Congress split into Congress (O) and Congress (R). The ECI treated Indira Gandhi's group as the real Congress. Much later the Congress led the UPA government from 2004 to 2014, and it won 99 Lok Sabha seats in 2024.
Don't confuse with
- Congress system: this is the name for the period of one-party dominance from 1952 to 1967. The INC is the party itself.
Related concepts
- Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968
- Recognised political party
- National party
- State party