The national song of India, Vande Matram, which was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, has been voted as the second most popular song in the world in a poll by the BBC World Service, organisers said.

A Nation Once Again, written in 1841 by Irish patriot Thomas Davis as a call for independence from British rule, stood first, largely because of a global email campaign calling on Irish expatriates to vote.

More than 150,000 votes were cast in the poll, which marked the 70th anniversary of the World Service.

The winning anthem beat classics such as John Lennon's Imagine and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.