Prelims 2015 · archive
EasyConsider the following statements:
- 1.The first woman President of the Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu.
- 2.The first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress was Badruddin Tyabji.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Only statement 2 is correct, so the answer is (b). Annie Besant, not Sarojini Naidu, was the first woman to preside over the Congress, at Calcutta in 1917. Sarojini Naidu followed in 1925 as the first Indian woman President. Badruddin Tyabji presided over the third session at Madras in 1887 and was the first Muslim President.
- ✗ 1. Annie Besant presided over the Calcutta session in 1917. Sarojini Naidu presided at Kanpur in 1925. She was the second woman, and the first Indian woman, to be President.
- ✓ 2. Badruddin Tyabji was elected President of the third Congress session at Madras in 1887. The first two Presidents were W.C. Bonnerjee (1885) and Dadabhai Naoroji (1886), so Tyabji was the first Muslim to hold the post.
Remember · First woman INC President: Annie Besant (Calcutta, 1917). First Indian woman: Sarojini Naidu (Kanpur, 1925). First Muslim: Badruddin Tyabji (Madras, 1887). First non-Indian: George Yule (Allahabad, 1888).
Sources
- Indian National Congress – Brief history of Congress, 1915–1925 ↗ · reference work “The Congress got its first woman President at the Calcutta Session in 1917: Annie Besant. … Sarojini Naidu became the second woman to preside over the Congress after Annie Besant.”
- Indian National Congress – Past Party Presidents: Badruddin Tyabji ↗ · reference work “He missed the second Session also due to ill health, but was unanimously elected President of its third Session in Madras (1887).”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·