New York City may soon get its first mayor of Indian-American. Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker, has become a rising star in the city’s mayoral race. With a sharp tongue, progressive ideas, and a unique cultural flair, Mamdani is giving political heavyweight Andrew Cuomo a serious run for his money.
Born in Uganda and raised in New York since the age of five, Mamdani only became a US citizen in 2018. Since then, he’s won three elections back-to-back and is now eyeing the top seat in City Hall. If he wins, he’ll be the first Muslim and Indian-American to become mayor of NYC.
Mamdani is a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America and has been vocal about his “people over profit” approach. His campaign, inspired by Bernie Sanders, calls for a higher minimum wage, free childcare, public transport, and even a new Department of Community Safety.
Mamdani often uses Hindi in his social media posts and peppers his campaign with Bollywood references. In fact, he once dropped a rap video called ‘Nani’, starring none other than Madhur Jaffrey, the legendary Indian-American actress.
His father is a well-known Marxist scholar from Uganda, and his mother is award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair. With this global upbringing, Mamdani also speaks out strongly on international issues. He supports Palestinian rights, opposes illegal Israeli settlements, and is unafraid to call for bold action — though he also supports Israel’s right to exist.
In a fiery moment during a recent debate, Mamdani slammed Cuomo, saying, “My campaign isn’t funded by the billionaires who backed Trump. I’m Donald Trump’s worst nightmare.” He even revealed that someone recently called for his deportation. But Mamdani isn’t backing down.
Meanwhile, Cuomo hit back with a jab of his own: “He’s passed three bills in 27 minutes of government. Trump would go through him like a hot knife through butter.”
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