The Indian National Congress first convened in December 1885, though the idea of an Indian nationalist movement opposed to British rule dated from the 1850s. During its first several decades, the Congress passed fairly moderate reform resolutions, though many within the organization were becoming radicalized by the increased poverty that accompanied British imperialism. In the early 20th century, elements within the party began to endorse a policy of swadeshi, which called for the boycott of imported British goods and the promotion of Indian-made goods. By 1917 the group’s “extremist” Home Rule wing, which was formed by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant the previous year, had begun to exert significant influence by appealing to India’s diverse social classes. The Congress met once a year during December. The first meeting was scheduled to be held in Pune, but due to a cholera outbreak there, the meeting was later shifted to Bombay. Hume, brought about this first meeting in Bombay, with the approval of Lord Dufferin, the then-Viceroy. Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee was the first President of the INC. The first session of the INC was held from 28–31 December 1885, and was attended by 72 delegates. The party's delegate represented each province of India, among whom 54 were Hindus, 2 Muslim, and the rest were of Parsi and Jain backgrounds.