Zohran Mamdani reacts after winning the 2025 New York City Mayoral race
Credit: Reuters Photo
Indian-origin Zohran Mamdani won a historic election to become the first South Asian and Muslim mayor of New York.
The 34-year-old Democrat defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa by huge margins. He received 948,202 votes (50.6 per cent), with 83 per cent of the votes in. Cuomo got 776,547 votes (41.3 per cent), while Sliwa fetched 137,030 votes.
Mamdani's victory was expected as he had been the front-runner in the NYC mayoral election for months.
Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Mamdani, son of popular filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani, was born in Kampala, Uganda. He shifted to New York City with his family when he was 7, and became a naturalised US citizen only recently in 2018.
Mamdani, a staunch critic of Donald Trump, has been a member of the New York State Assembly from the 36th district since 2021.
He graduated from NYC Public School System, and has a Bachelor's Degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College.
Zohran had earlier worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counselor, helping low-income homeowners of color across Queens fight off eviction and stay in their homes. It was this job that led him to run for office.
The young politician is married to Rama Duwaji (28), who is an artist by profession.
(With PTI inputs)