Who Is Zohran Mamdani? Indian-American Leader Wins NYC Mayoral Primary

Indian-American leader Zohran Mamdani's public-funded campaign stumped millionaire Andrew Cuomo, as he secured a decisive victory in the New York City mayoral primary on June 24. The "democratic socialist" received 43.5% of the votes, while Cuomo conceded with 36.4%, as per the latest figures. Mamdani, 33, could become NYC's first Indian-American and first Muslim mayor. 

Mamdani said in his victory speech, “I will fight for a city that works for you, that is affordable for you, that is safe for you. We can be free and we can be fed. We can demand what we deserve.” He recently called himself US President “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare”, speaking of his background and ideology.

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Zohran Mamdani And His Desi Roots

Zohran Mamdani, who is also known for his career as a rapper, is the son of Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair and Indian-born Ugandan academic Professor Mahmood Mamdani. Zohran was reportedly born in Uganda and grew up in New York.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College in the state of Maine. Before joining politics, he worked as a counsellor who helped low-income homeowners fight off evictions, according to his official profile on the New York Assembly website. 

Under the stage name Mr Cardamom, the young politician has released several hip-hop numbers, among the most popular of which is Nani starring Indian actress and popular cook Madhur Jaffrey. Mamdani successfully ran for assembly elections in 2020.

During his political campaign, Mamdani relied heavily on his socialist ideas, impacted by ideas of equality, bridging the class disparity, rights for immigrants, housing, and healthcare facilities for the poor.

That’s why I’m trying to fight for universal rent control in the same breath as I’m fighting in Times Square for an India that respects a pluralistic vision that so many of us Indians are proud of,” he said in an earlier interview.

Mamdani, during his political campaign for the assembly seat, had taken a desi spin on the popular phrase 'bread and roses' and changed it to 'roti and roses.' And the reason "it's roti and roses is because we're both fighting for something universal and something specific, and the specificity is about being an Indian-American, a desi Muslim American running to represent our communities, which have been shut out of the conversation for far too long," he explained.

New York-based Mira Nair had said in a 2013 interview that her son, "is a total desi. Completely. We are not firangs at all. He is very much us." Even then, she did not see him following her path into films: "He should do whatever he wants to do. I don’t see it in him to make movies. He is very involved with current affairs, politics, and political issues. I think he can be engaged in the world in someway to make a difference. He is very very interested in that."