The President of India National Congress as the time of partition of i India was

1. Evolution of INC Leadership and Sessions (basic)

The Indian National Congress (INC), founded in 1885, was the primary vehicle for India's struggle against British rule. To understand how India moved toward independence, we must first look at how the Congress itself evolved. In its early years, the INC was a 'Moderate' body that met annually in December to pass resolutions and request reforms from the British. The very first session in 1885 was held in Bombay, presided over by Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee and attended by 72 delegates Rajiv Ahir, A Brief History of Modern India, p.247. This established a tradition: the Congress would meet in a different part of the country every year to ensure it became 'the whole country’s Congress' Bipin Chandra, Modern India, p.208. As the national movement matured, the leadership and goals of the INC underwent a radical shift. The initial 'Moderate' phase, led by figures like Dadabhai Naoroji and Pherozeshah Mehta, gave way to a more 'Militant' nationalist spirit led by figures like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Aurobindo Ghose Bipin Chandra, Modern India, p.243. This evolution was not just about people, but about the objective of the movement. A pivotal moment occurred at the 1929 Lahore Session, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru. It was here that the Congress officially moved beyond the demand for 'Dominion Status' and declared Poorna Swaraj (Complete Independence) as its ultimate goal Bipin Chandra, Modern India, p.286. By the late 1930s and 1940s, the Congress leadership faced internal ideological debates, such as the friction between Subhash Chandra Bose and the followers of Mahatma Gandhi in 1938-39 Bipin Chandra, Modern India, p.293. However, as the British finally prepared to leave India in 1946-47, the role of the Congress President became one of managing the transition of power. Acharya J.B. Kripalani was elected President in 1946 and held this crucial office through the turbulent months of partition and the final dawn of independence on August 15, 1947.

Sources: A Brief History of Modern India, Indian National Congress: Foundation and the Moderate Phase, p.247; Modern India (Old NCERT), Struggle for Swaraj, p.286; Modern India (Old NCERT), Growth of New India—The Nationalist Movement 1858—1905, p.208; Modern India (Old NCERT), Nationalist Movement 1905—1918, p.243; Modern India (Old NCERT), Struggle for Swaraj, p.293

2. The Longest Presidency: 1940–1946 (basic)

In the history of the Indian National Congress (INC), the presidency of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad from 1940 to 1946 stands out as a unique historical anomaly. Typically, the Congress held annual sessions and elected a new president every year. However, Azad’s tenure became the longest continuous presidency in the pre-independence era due to the extraordinary circumstances of World War II and the Quit India Movement.

The journey began at the Ramgarh session in March 1940, where Azad was elected to lead the party Rajiv Ahir, A Brief History of Modern India, Nationalist Response in the Wake of World War II, p.438. Shortly after, the political situation in India reached a boiling point. Following the launch of the Quit India Movement in 1942, the British government arrested almost the entire top leadership of the Congress. Since the leaders remained in prison for much of the war and no formal sessions could be convened, Azad continued to hold the office by default until 1946.

Beyond his long tenure, Maulana Azad was a pivotal figure in the negotiations for India's future. As a profound scholar of Islam and a staunch proponent of Hindu-Muslim unity, he led the Congress delegations during critical talks like the Simla Conference and the Cabinet Mission. He remained one of the most vocal opponents of the Partition of India, believing firmly in a unified, secular nation NCERT Class XII, Politics in India since Independence, Era of One-party Dominance, p.30. His presidency finally concluded in 1946 when the process of transitioning power to Indian hands began in earnest.

Sources: A Brief History of Modern India (Spectrum), Nationalist Response in the Wake of World War II, p.438; Politics in India since Independence (NCERT Class XII), Era of One-party Dominance, p.30

3. Constitutional Negotiations (1945–1947) (intermediate)

By 1945, as World War II drew to a close, the British government realized that holding onto India by force was no longer sustainable. The period between 1945 and 1947 was marked by a series of high-stakes constitutional negotiations aimed at finding a formula for the transfer of power. The process began in earnest with the Wavell Plan and the Shimla Conference (1945). Lord Wavell sought to reconstruct the Governor-General’s Executive Council, proposing that all members except the Governor-General and the Commander-in-Chief be Indians, with equal representation for 'Caste Hindus' and Muslims Rajiv Ahir, A Brief History of Modern India, p.455. However, this failed because the Muslim League insisted it should have the sole right to nominate all Muslim members, a claim the Congress (which had Muslim leaders like Maulana Azad) could not accept History, Class XII (Tamil Nadu), p.92.

Following the failure of the Shimla Conference and the end of the war, the British sent the Cabinet Mission in March 1946. Comprising Pethick-Lawrence, Stafford Cripps, and A.V. Alexander, the mission's goal was to negotiate the terms for a new constitution and an Interim Government Rajiv Ahir, A Brief History of Modern India, p.472. The Cabinet Mission Plan was unique because it rejected the demand for a full-fledged Pakistan but offered a compromise through 'grouping' provinces into three sections (A, B, and C) based on religious majorities History, Class XII (Tamil Nadu), p.93. While both the Congress and the League initially accepted parts of the plan, trust quickly eroded over the interpretation of 'compulsory grouping,' leading to a complete breakdown in cooperation.

The final phase of negotiations was characterized by a transition from debate to direct action. In September 1946, an Interim Government headed by Jawaharlal Nehru was sworn in, but the Muslim League initially boycotted it, later joining only to obstruct it from within Rajiv Ahir, A Brief History of Modern India, p.823. This deadlock convinced the British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, that a deadline was necessary. On February 20, 1947, he announced that the British would leave India by June 1948, forcing the Indian leadership to confront the reality of either a unified India or a partitioned one.

Sources: A Brief History of Modern India, Quit India Movement, Demand for Pakistan, and the INA, p.455; A Brief History of Modern India, Post-War National Scenario, p.472; A Brief History of Modern India, After Nehru..., p.823; History, Class XII (Tamil Nadu State Board), Last Phase of Indian National Movement, p.92-93

4. Integration of Princely States and Communalism (intermediate)

As we approach the final stages of India's independence, we encounter a dual challenge that threatened to tear the map of India apart: the problem of Princely States and the rising tide of communalism. When the British prepared to leave, they declared that Paramountcy (the British Crown's suzerainty over local rulers) would lapse. This created a legal vacuum where over 500 princely states were technically free to join India, join Pakistan, or remain independent—a situation that could have led to the 'Balkanization' of the subcontinent into hundreds of tiny countries Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu, OUTSTANDING FEATURES OF OUR CONSTITUTION, p.51.

To prevent this, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Home Minister, and his secretary V.P. Menon, launched a masterclass in diplomacy and firmness. They appealed to the rulers' patriotism while making it clear that the alternative to integration was chaos. Most states signed the Instrument of Accession, surrendering control over only three areas: Defence, External Affairs, and Communications. This 'Patel Scheme' aimed to weave these states into viable administrative units and fit them into India's new constitutional structure Politics in India since Independence, NCERT, Challenges of Nation Building, p.16.

While Patel was stitching the geography together, the social fabric was being shredded by communalism. After the failure of the Cabinet Mission Plan, the Muslim League called for 'Direct Action Day' on August 16, 1946, to press for Pakistan. This triggered the 'Great Calcutta Killings,' where thousands died in four days of horrific violence History, Tamilnadu state board, Communalism in Nationalist Politics, p.80. The violence spread like wildfire to Bihar, the United Provinces, and the Punjab, convincing many leaders that partition was the only way to end the bloodshed and avoid a total civil war THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, NCERT, MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT, p.304.

Sources: Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu, OUTSTANDING FEATURES OF OUR CONSTITUTION, p.51; Politics in India since Independence, NCERT, Challenges of Nation Building, p.16; History, Tamilnadu state board, Communalism in Nationalist Politics, p.80; THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, NCERT, MAHATMA GANDHI AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT, p.304; A Brief History of Modern India, SPECTRUM, The Indian States, p.607

5. The Interim Government and Party vs. Executive (intermediate)

The formation of the Interim Government on September 2, 1946, marked a critical transition from colonial rule to self-governance. While it felt like a national cabinet, it was legally a continuation of the Viceroy’s Executive Council. Under this arrangement, the Viceroy remained the President of the Council, while Jawaharlal Nehru was designated as the Vice-President, holding portfolios for External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations M. Laxmikanth, Historical Background, p.10. This period was characterized by a unique dualism: nationalist leaders were now 'insiders' in the state machinery, yet they remained accountable to their party organization, the Indian National Congress.

A significant tension emerged during this era regarding the relationship between the Party and the Executive. As top leaders like Nehru and Sardar Patel took up ministerial roles, the role of the Congress President became a point of friction. Acharya J.B. Kripalani, who was elected Congress President in 1946, often found himself at odds with the government wing. Kripalani argued that the party organization should lay down the policy framework for the government to follow, whereas Nehru and Patel insisted that the Executive required autonomy to handle the immediate administrative challenges of a nation on the brink of partition.

The functioning of this government was further complicated by the entry of the Muslim League on October 26, 1946. Unlike the Congress, which sought to use the Interim Government as a step toward a united India, the League joined primarily to prevent the Congress from consolidating power and to advocate for Pakistan from within the administration Spectrum, Post-War National Scenario, p.476. This led to frequent deadlocks, particularly in the Finance department held by Liaquat Ali Khan, illustrating that the Interim Government was more a site of political contestation than a cohesive administrative body.

Sources: Indian Polity, Historical Background, p.10; A Brief History of Modern India (Spectrum), Post-War National Scenario, p.476

6. Acharya J.B. Kripalani: The President at Partition (exam-level)

Acharya J.B. Kripalani (Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani) stands as a pivotal figure in modern Indian history, specifically as the bridge between the freedom struggle and the dawn of independence. A dedicated Gandhian and a former principal of the Gujarat Vidyapith (which earned him the title 'Acharya'), he was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1946 at the Meerut session. This position was particularly significant because he held the presidency during the most turbulent months leading up to the transfer of power and was the serving Congress President on August 15, 1947, when India achieved independence.

Beyond being a ceremonial head, Kripalani played a functional role in the birth of the new Republic. When the Constituent Assembly first met on December 9, 1946, it was Kripalani who, in his capacity as the Congress President, proposed the name of Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha as the temporary Chairman of the Assembly Rajiv Ahir, A Brief History of Modern India, Making of the Constitution for India, p.616. His tenure was marked by the difficult task of managing party consensus as the British prepared to depart and the Mountbatten Plan for partition was being negotiated. In June 1947, he presided over the All India Congress Committee (AICC) meeting where the resolution to accept the partition of India was formally approved History, Class XII (Tamil Nadu State Board), Last Phase of Indian National Movement, p.95.

However, Kripalani's presidency also highlighted a growing structural tension within the Congress: the friction between the 'organizational wing' and the 'parliamentary wing.' While Kripalani believed the party organization should have a say in government policy, leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel (who were part of the Interim Government) felt the government should function independently of the party's daily interference Rajiv Ahir, A Brief History of Modern India, Post-War National Scenario, p.477. This disagreement eventually led to Kripalani’s resignation in late 1947, shortly after independence.

Sources: A Brief History of Modern India (Spectrum), Making of the Constitution for India, p.616; History, Class XII (Tamil Nadu State Board), Last Phase of Indian National Movement, p.95; A Brief History of Modern India (Spectrum), Post-War National Scenario, p.477

7. Solving the Original PYQ (exam-level)

Connecting the chronological dots you have just studied, this question tests your ability to pinpoint leadership during the Transfer of Power (1946-1947). While many students focus on the political negotiations between the British, the League, and the Congress, UPSC often targets the specific organizational leadership of the Indian National Congress (INC) during these pivotal months. The transition from the long-standing wartime presidency of the early 1940s to the leadership that oversaw the actual Partition of India is a classic high-yield fact. By understanding that the Meerut Session of 1946 marked a shift in party stewardship, you can bridge the gap between the end of World War II and the dawn of Independence.

The reasoning here requires a sharp distinction between government roles and party roles. While Jawaharlal Nehru was heading the Interim Government, the organizational head of the INC was J. B. Kripalani (often called Acharya Kripalani). He was elected in late 1946 and remained in office through the chaotic months of August 1947, eventually resigning in November 1947 due to friction regarding the party's role in a newly independent government. Therefore, the correct answer is (B) J B Kripalani. When you see "at the time of partition," always look for the leader who held the gavel during the 1946-47 window, as noted in Britannica.

UPSC uses the other options as intentional traps based on proximity to power. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad is a common mistake because he was the longest-serving president (1940–1946) during the Quit India movement, but he had already handed over the reins. Jawaharlal Nehru is a trap designed to confuse the Prime Minister of the Interim Government with the Party President. Finally, C. Rajagopalachari, while a brilliant statesman and creator of the "C.R. Formula," never held the Congress Presidency during this specific era. Distinguishing between the 'face of the government' and the 'head of the party' is a critical skill for clearing the Prelims.