Although the All India National Congress was established in 1885, prior to it several provincial and regional political organisations had already become functional in the political field. Chief amongst them were the Land Holders Society (1837), British India Society (1843) and British Indian Association (1851) in Bengal, Native Association (1852) in Madras and Bombay Association (1852) in Bombay. The credit for establishing such an association abroad goes to Dadabhai Naoroji. In 1866, he set up the East India Association in London.

On 26 July 1876, another organisation called the Indian Association was established in Bengal. Its prominent leaders were Anand Mohan Bose and Surendranath Banerjee. In this association the majority consisted of the English educated middle class Indians. The Mahajan Sabha was established in Madras on 16 May, 1884. Its leaders were P. Rangayya Naidu, V. Raghavachari and Anandacharlu.

In December 1883, 200 representatives attended the National Conference of the Indian Association held in Calcutta. Its second Conference was held in Calcutta on 25 December, 1885. These were important steps in the direction of founding an all India political organisation. On 1 March, 1883 in an open letter, A.O Hume,a retired civil servant  had appealed to the students of Calcutta University to set up an organisation in India. At the beginning of 1884 he had himself started talking of such names as Antarang Mandal and Hamari Party. In 1885, he spoke of his own party as the Indian National Union.  But, after the suggestion of Dadabhai Naoroji, its name was changed to ‘Indian National Congress’. The word ‘Congress’ was taken from the American Constitution.

Aims and Objectives of Congress

1. Promotion of friendship amongst the countrymen
2. Development and consolidation of feeling of national unity irrespective of race, caste, religion or provinces
3. Formulation of popular demands and presentation before the Gov-ernment through petitions.
4. Training and organization of public opinion.
5. Consolidation of sentiments of national unity
6. Recording of the opinions of educated classes on pressing problems
7. Laying down lines for future course of action in public interest

The First session of the INC was organised by A 0 Hume at Gokaldas Tejpal Sanskrit College on 28th December 1885 (Bombay). Its first President was W C Bonnerjee. It was the first organised expression of the Indian National movement on an all-India scale. About 72 representatives took part in it.

There is a theory that one of the main aims of Hume in helping to found the National Congress was to provide an outlet i.e. ‘a safety valve‘—to the increasing popular discontent against British rule.But, on the basis of modern analysis,it can be said that the INC was a result of poltically conscious Indians uniting together under the context of commonality of interests.