'''ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ''' (ટુંકાણ '''INC''', andઅને commonly known as theસામાન્યત '''કોંગ્રેસ તરીકે જાણીતો છે.''') isજે oneભારતના ofબે theમુખ્ય twoરાજકીય majorપક્ષોમાંથી [[politicalએક parties in India]]છે, the other beingજયારે theબીજી [[ભારતીય જનતા પાર્ટી]] (ભાજપા) છે. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratically-operating political parties in the world.<ref name="Rastogi">{{cite book | title=The nature and dynamics of factional conflict | publisher=Macmillan Co. of India | author=Rastogi, P.N. | year=1975 | p.=69}}</ref><ref name="ParlDebates">{{cite conference | url=http://books.google.co.in/books?id=VzM3AAAAIAAJ | title=Parliamentary Debates | publisher=Council of States Secretariat | accessdate=November 26, 2012 | year=1976 | p.=111 | Vol.=98 | Issue=1–9}}</ref><ref name="CongBibliog">{{cite book | title=ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ: A Select Bibliography | publisher=U.D.H. Publishing House | author=Gavit, Manikrao Hodlya; Chand, Attar | year=1989 | pages=451}}</ref> The party's [[Social liberalism|modern liberal]] platform is largely considered [[centre left|centre-left wing]] in the [[Politics of India|Indian political spectrum]] as contrasted to the [[right-wing]] [[hindu nationalism|socio-religious ultra-nationalist]]-based [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]. Founded in 1885 by members of the [[occult]]ist movement [[Theosophical Society]]<ref name=bevir/>—[[Allan Octavian Hume]], [[Dadabhai Naoroji]], [[Dinshaw Edulji Wacha|Dinshaw Wacha]], [[Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee]], [[Surendranath Banerjee]], [[Monomohun Ghose]], [[Mahadev Govind Ranade]]<ref>[http://www.rrtd.nic.in/biogovind.html Mahadev Govind Ranade<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and [[William Wedderburn]]—the ભારતીય રાષ્ટ્રીય કોંગ્રેસ became a pivotal participant in the [[Indian Independence Movement]], with over 15 million members and over 70 million participants in its struggle against [[British Raj|British colonial rule]] in [[India]]. After [[Indian Independence Act 1947|independence]] in 1947, it became the nation's [[dominant party system|dominant political party]], led by the [[Nehru-Gandhi family]] for the most part; major challenges for party leadership have only recently formed.
In the [[Indian general election, 2009|2009 general elections]], the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the [[Lok Sabha]], with 206 of its candidates getting elected to the 543-member house. Consequently it, as a member of a coalition of [[political organisation]]s called the [[United Progressive Alliance]] (UPA), was able to gain a majority and form the government.
