In which of the following years was the Indian National Congress established?

The Indian National Congress (INC) was the principal all-India platform through which English-educated Indians organised to place political demands, such as wider representation, civil rights, and administrative reforms, before the colonial government. As the founding body of India's mainstream nationalist movement, the date of its formation anchors the timeline separating the earlier era of scattered regional associations and social-reform bodies from the organised, pan-India phase of the freedom struggle.

The INC was founded in December 1885 at the initiative of Allan Octavian Hume, a retired British civil servant who worked with Indian leaders to bring together delegates from across the country. Its first session was held in Bombay from 28 to 31 December 1885, with Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee presiding over about 72 delegates. This makes 1885 the year of establishment.

• 1856 is the year the Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act was enacted, a major social reform, but not the founding of any pan-India political organisation.

• 1876 is the year the Indian Association was founded in Calcutta by Surendranath Banerjee and Anandamohan Bose, an influential precursor body, but organisationally distinct from and earlier than the INC.

• 1895 is the year of the INC's eleventh annual session, held at Poona, which came a decade after its actual founding.

Cross-checking against the INC's own historical record, first session at Bombay, 28-31 December 1885, confirms 1885; none of the other years mark the Congress's establishment.