Bureaucrat’s Performance of “We Shall Overcome” After Assam Voting Goes Viral

The impromptu jam session video has gone viral, capturing Deputy Commissioner Devashish Sharma of Morigaon district leading the singing and strumming his guitar as tired polling teams arrived at the strong room around 2 am on Saturday. In the video, Mr. Sharma is at the center of a large gathering with his guitar, joined by others in singing the iconic song in the local dialect and then in English.

The origins of the anthem are unknown, but it has historically served as a rallying call in civil rights movements globally, including during India’s freedom fight. Girija Kumar Mathur’s original Hindi translation of the song as “Hum Honge Kameyab” is still sung in schools in the country.

The second phase of polling in Assam saw a 77.35% voter turnout across five parliamentary constituencies on Friday. According to the Election Commission, this turnout reflects the strong participation of citizens in shaping the democratic process.

The third phase of polls is scheduled for May 7 in four Lok Sabha seats in Assam – Guwahati, Barpeta, Kokrajhar, and Dhubri, with 47 candidates in the fray.