Read the passage and answer the question:

The roots of the extraordinary success of the Congress party go back to the legacy of the freedom struggle. Congress was seen as inheritor of the national movement. Many leaders who were in the forefront of that struggle were now contesting elections as Congress candidates. The Congress was already a very well-organised party and by the time the other parties could even think of a strategy, the Congress had already started its campaign. In fact, many parties were formed only around Independence or after that. Thus, the Congress had the ‘first off the blocks’ advantage.

Which of the following statements is correct about the Indian National Congress?

Statement I- Congress was formed in the year 1885.

Statement II- It began as a party dominated by agriculture-based leaders with a rural orientation.

Only statement I is correct.

The correct answer is Option 1 - Only statement I is correct.

Given statements:

Statement I- Congress was formed in the year 1885. (Correct)

Statement II- It began as a party dominated by agriculture-based leaders with a rural orientation. (Incorrect)

The Congress party evolved from a pressure group for the educated, professional, and commercial classes in 1885 to a mass movement in the twentieth century.
Its initial composition was dominated by English-speaking, upper-caste, upper-middle-class, and urban elites.
However, with each civil disobedience movement, the Congress party expanded its social base and brought together diverse groups with often contradictory interests.
It included peasants, industrialists, urban and rural dwellers, workers, owners, and people from various social classes and castes.
Over time, the Congress party's leadership expanded beyond the upper caste and upper-class professionals to include leaders with a rural orientation and agricultural backgrounds.
By the time of independence, the Congress party had transformed into a social coalition representing India's diversity in terms of classes, castes, religions, languages, and various interests.
While some groups merged their identity within the Congress, others maintained their distinct beliefs and continued to exist within the party.