The Indian National Congress was founded when 72 delegates met in December 1885 at:

1. The Ilbert Bill row had deepened the need for an all-India body. 2. The first session met at Bombay. 3. Early leaders came largely from Bombay and Calcutta. _Source: NCERT Class 8 Our Pasts III, Chapter 9, The Making of the National Movement 1870s-1947._