Zohran Mamdani elected as New York City's first Muslim & Indian-American mayor

New York state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, 34, has been elected as New York City's (NYC) mayor on Nov. 4, becoming the first Muslim and Indian-American person to do so.

He is also the city's youngest mayor in more than a century.

The mayoral elections saw the highest voter turnout in decades since 1969 with more than two million voters, reported The New York Times.

Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, was voted in with slightly over 50 per cent of the votes in the traditionally liberal city, according to estimates by AP, who called the race.

He beat his closest opponent, former New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, who had previously won the Republican primary without even a contest.

Mamdani led the Democratic primary on Jun. 24 with 43.5 per cent of the votes, leading to Cuomo conceding the race in his favour.

He is set to take office as mayor on Jan. 1, 2026.

Who is Mamdani?

Uganda-born Mamdani was considered a political outsider fairly unknown until recently, despite having served three terms as a representative for assembly district 36 in New York State Assembly.

Widely considered somewhat of an insurgent, Mamdani's campaign fought against NYC's political and business establishments.

Among others, he championed free city buses, a two per cent tax on millionaires, universal childcare and the freezing of rent in subsidised units.

His mastery of social media and intense focus on affordability is said to have turn younger voters away from traditional favourites and towards him, contributing to his victory.

As the first Muslim leader in the city with the largest Muslim population in the U.S., Mamdani was a target of Islamophobia and xenophobia throughout his campaign.

He also came under scrutiny of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly called him a "communist".

Trump had previously threatened to look into Mamdani's citizenship status, making unfounded claims that he is an illegal immigrant despite being naturalised as a U.S. citizen.

Trump even offered his support for Cuomo, whom he clashed with previously during the Covid-19 pandemic, and suggested that he could block funds for the city if Mamdani won.

Top image via AFP