Who Is Zohran Mamdani, Indian-American To Win Democratic Race For New York Mayor Polls?

The Indian American lawmaker Zohran Mamdani, 33, clinched victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary after securing 43.5 per cent of the vote of the 91 per cent votes counted, beating seasoned politician Andrew Cuomo.

After conceding in mayoral, former Governor Andrew Cuomo reportedly congratulated Mamdani, the first South Asian to hold the post, saying, "Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won."

In a declaration of his historical victory, the Democratic member of the New York state assembly said, "Tonight, we made history," whilst being cheered upon by a massive crowd in New York City.

On a celebratory note, he penned on X, “In the words of Nelson Mandela: it always seems impossible until it’s done. My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it. I am honoured to be your Democratic nominee for the Mayor of New York City.”

The result seals his nomination in the Democratic stronghold of NYC setting the stage for a likely face-off with current mayor Eric Adams and Republican Curtis Sliwa in November.

Presently, Adams faced the heat of federal investigations over alleged fraud and bribery, which he has categorically denied, and wants re-election as an independent.

The city’s ranked-choice voting system means official results may take up to a week, but Mamdani’s current lead has energised progressives across the US.

Zohran Mamdani: Housing Counsellor Turned NYC Mayor Polls Victor

Born on October 1991 in Uganda to Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani, Zohran shifted to NYC at the tender age of seven. In 2018, he benefited from the U.S permanent citizenship laws in place by becoming a naturalised US citizen and later married to a Syrian artist in the same year.

Before his political career could take-off, Mamdani was employed as a housing counsellor, aiding low-income families to challenge eviction.

As a graduate in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College, he has also dabbled rap and writing. However, he was elected back in 2020 as the New York State Assembly, where he dubbed himself as a “democratic socialist”.

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His grassroots-driven campaign leaned heavily on themes of affordability, including capping rents and grocery prices, funded reportedly by a proposed 2 per cent flat tax on New Yorkers earning over USD 1 million. He gained endorsements from prominent progressives like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Social media played a pertinent role in his latest community outreach which has several popular cultural references from Bollywood to Mango lassis, while making sure to level up his election campaign using his fluency in both Urdu and Hindi.

Why Zohran Mamdani Propagates ‘Intifada’ In The U.S? 

Zohran Mamdani’s has earned an image as a dangerous radical, especially after his controversial slogan that he hasn't denounced yet, "Globalize the intifada." This pro-Palestine slogan in many ways has been considered as a subtle gesture towards inciting violence. Especially on the countdown to election day, it garnered attention of netizens and voters in NYC alike, dragging the focus to the Middle East conflict and its extension into U.S. politics. However, what concerns voters still is not the intifada as much as the globalisation of it. If candidates in hopes to win local office in the U.S run on a possible violence inciting stance, the American politics could end up resembling that intractable conflict.