The Indian National Congress (INC) was established in 1885 primarily by Allan Octavian Hume, a retired British civil servant of the Indian Civil Service. Hume founded the INC to create a platform for civil and political dialogue among educated Indians and to advocate for greater political rights under British rule
. The first session of the Indian National Congress was held in December 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), where Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee presided as the first president. The inaugural meeting included 72 delegates from across India, including prominent Indian leaders such as Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjee, Badruddin Tyabji, and others
. Thus, while Allan Octavian Hume was the key founder and driving force behind the establishment of the Indian National Congress, it was formed collectively by a group of Indian leaders and intellectuals who sought a platform to discuss and promote Indian political and social interests under British colonial rule
