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Who was the first woman President of the Indian National Congress?
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Answer: Option D — Annie Besant
Detailed Solution
Annie Besant (1847-1933) was a British-born social reformer, theosophist and supporter of Indian self-rule. She presided over the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress in December 1917, becoming the first woman President of the Congress.
Annie Besant was born in London. She was an active social reformer and women's rights campaigner in Britain. In 1889, she joined the Theosophical Society, founded by Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott. She came to India in 1893 and made it her home. She became President of the Theosophical Society in 1907, with its international headquarters at Adyar in Madras (Chennai).
In India, Besant worked for education, social reform and Indian self-government:
- She founded the Central Hindu School (later College) at Banaras in 1898, which became the nucleus of the Banaras Hindu University, founded by Madan Mohan Malaviya in 1916.
- She started the newspapers "New India" and "The Commonweal".
In September 1916, she founded the All India Home Rule League at Madras, demanding self-government for India within the British Empire. Bal Gangadhar Tilak had started his Home Rule League at Belgaum in April 1916. She was interned by the British in June 1917, which made her very popular, and she was released in September 1917.
The first Indian woman President of the Congress was Sarojini Naidu, who presided over the Kanpur session in 1925. Sarojini Naidu, called the "Nightingale of India", later became the first woman Governor of an Indian state (United Provinces, 1947). Nellie Sengupta, born in England, presided over the Calcutta session of 1933 and was the third woman President.
After Independence, Indira Gandhi (1959) and Sonia Gandhi (the longest-serving Congress president) also led the party.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Sarojini Naidu was the first Indian woman President of the Congress (Kanpur, 1925).
- ✗Nellie Sengupta was the third woman President (1933).
- ✗Indira Gandhi became Congress President in 1959.
Quick tip
Remember: First woman Congress President = Annie Besant (Calcutta 1917, Home Rule League 1916); first Indian woman President = Sarojini Naidu (Kanpur 1925).
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Indian National Congress & Its Sessions — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indian National Congress & Its Sessions, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by A. O. Hume, and its first session was held in Bombay under W. C. Bonnerjee. This topic covers the important Congress sessions and their presidents, the moderate and extremist phases, the Surat split, and the founding and role of the Muslim League. Questions commonly ask who presided over a session, where a session was held, or what was decided there. For example, the 1929 Lahore session under Jawaharlal Nehru adopted the goal of Purna Swaraj, and the 1931 Karachi session passed the resolution on Fundamental Rights. The first woman president of the Congress was Annie Besant (Calcutta, 1917). Practise the Indian National Congress questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.