<p>Zohran Mamdani, a rank outsider, has won the New York City mayoral election on the platform of affordability and a promise of change. He has captured the lightning in a bottle, as the saying goes, but is he here for the long haul? Can he deliver on the promise? Mamdani, 34, is not insular to the ‘hope-monger’ barbs by his detractors or the challenges of governance, which ends up in ‘prose’ from the ‘poetry’ of campaigning. Barack Obama, who ran his successful 2008 campaign on hope, faced similar cynicism.</p>.<p>Hope was integral to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, too. Sure, he captured the imagination of the white ultra nationalists and Christian evangelicals, tapping into their angst and prejudice against the immigrants, but his promise to rein in inflation and bring back jobs resonated with America. Latinos, blacks, and blue-collar whites disillusioned with conventional politicians voted for him. But the hope has receded in rising inflation, erratic diplomacy, regressive trade policies, and targeted crackdowns on immigrants.</p>.<p>India, too, has parallels. Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister on the slogan ‘garibi hatao’. It remained a slogan. Narendra Modi had a meteoric rise, riding on striking messages on the dawn of achche din and all-inclusive vikas. He has achieved much, but we are now a polarised society marked by discontent and deep inequalities.</p>.<p>Who can forget the incredible ascent of Arvind Kejriwal, a complete political novice? Kejriwal formed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on the plank of eradicating corruption and the promise of good governance. He defeated the formidable BJP and the Congress in Delhi and was in power for 10 years. After a promising start, Kejriwal unravelled as an authoritarian within his party, a leader who crushed dissent and undermined inner-party democracy. His activist-protester line of functioning also led to constant run-ins with the Lt Governor of Delhi as well as the Prime Minister. An elected leader of a state cannot deliver on poll promises if he or she fails to build bridges with a cross-section of stakeholders, including the opposition. As was to be expected, the relentless political acrimony hindered governance.</p>.<p>The same fate may await Mamdani. Trump has already threatened to “punish” New York by withholding federal funding to the city. If recent crackdowns on protests and immigrants are any indication, a Trump-Mamdani face-off is a distinct, immediate possibility.</p>.<p>Mamdani won because people were tired of ageing politicians who had induced a sense of fatalism in the system, eroding faith in democracy. He symbolises hope in a climate of cynicism. Mamdani possesses a disarming charm, is a skilful campaigner, an unscripted and unaffected conversationalist, and a great listener. He has not been afraid to condemn Hamas while calling Israel’s war on Gaza a genocide, or saying he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal declared by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Even Democrats from the extreme left do not speak that language.</p>.<p>He kept his campaign promise of affordability straight and simple – a freeze on rents, free and fast buses, and affordable childcare make a compelling case for political change. This clarity of messaging explains why he found strong support across ethnicities, scripting a decisive voter shift. As Nancy Pelosi, veteran Democrat and former speaker of the US House of Representatives, told Edward Luce of the Financial Times, “Democracy is saved at the kitchen table.”</p>.<p>Mamdani’s stated move to tax the billionaires is where things get a touch tricky because he doesn’t have the power to do so. He has to co-opt the New York Governor and enlist many other stakeholders to do that. Politics is a sport that requires skills tailored to the context. For example, the rent-freeze proposal cannot be implemented unilaterally. Owners will withdraw properties from the market, causing a scarcity that will further raise the rents. This is an inherent risk that Mamdani has to navigate with caution.</p>.<p>Mamdani has already shown some precocious maturity in announcing veteran civil servant Dean Fuleihan as his first Deputy Mayor. The mayor-elect has his task cut out. He has to learn on the fly and build coalitions to win over all sections of society, including the technocrat billionaires he has criticised.</p>.<p>Zohran Mamdani has shown promise, but will he adapt? As is often the case, power intoxicates – the crown changes its wearer and hubris blinds them to reality. As Aldous Huxley said, “That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of the lessons that history has to teach.”</p>.<p><em>(The writer builds bridges, sometimes by tearing down walls. He is a soldier, farmer, and entrepreneur.)</em></p> <p><em>Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>
<p>Zohran Mamdani, a rank outsider, has won the New York City mayoral election on the platform of affordability and a promise of change. He has captured the lightning in a bottle, as the saying goes, but is he here for the long haul? Can he deliver on the promise? Mamdani, 34, is not insular to the ‘hope-monger’ barbs by his detractors or the challenges of governance, which ends up in ‘prose’ from the ‘poetry’ of campaigning. Barack Obama, who ran his successful 2008 campaign on hope, faced similar cynicism.</p>.<p>Hope was integral to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, too. Sure, he captured the imagination of the white ultra nationalists and Christian evangelicals, tapping into their angst and prejudice against the immigrants, but his promise to rein in inflation and bring back jobs resonated with America. Latinos, blacks, and blue-collar whites disillusioned with conventional politicians voted for him. But the hope has receded in rising inflation, erratic diplomacy, regressive trade policies, and targeted crackdowns on immigrants.</p>.<p>India, too, has parallels. Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister on the slogan ‘garibi hatao’. It remained a slogan. Narendra Modi had a meteoric rise, riding on striking messages on the dawn of achche din and all-inclusive vikas. He has achieved much, but we are now a polarised society marked by discontent and deep inequalities.</p>.<p>Who can forget the incredible ascent of Arvind Kejriwal, a complete political novice? Kejriwal formed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on the plank of eradicating corruption and the promise of good governance. He defeated the formidable BJP and the Congress in Delhi and was in power for 10 years. After a promising start, Kejriwal unravelled as an authoritarian within his party, a leader who crushed dissent and undermined inner-party democracy. His activist-protester line of functioning also led to constant run-ins with the Lt Governor of Delhi as well as the Prime Minister. An elected leader of a state cannot deliver on poll promises if he or she fails to build bridges with a cross-section of stakeholders, including the opposition. As was to be expected, the relentless political acrimony hindered governance.</p>.<p>The same fate may await Mamdani. Trump has already threatened to “punish” New York by withholding federal funding to the city. If recent crackdowns on protests and immigrants are any indication, a Trump-Mamdani face-off is a distinct, immediate possibility.</p>.<p>Mamdani won because people were tired of ageing politicians who had induced a sense of fatalism in the system, eroding faith in democracy. He symbolises hope in a climate of cynicism. Mamdani possesses a disarming charm, is a skilful campaigner, an unscripted and unaffected conversationalist, and a great listener. He has not been afraid to condemn Hamas while calling Israel’s war on Gaza a genocide, or saying he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal declared by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Even Democrats from the extreme left do not speak that language.</p>.<p>He kept his campaign promise of affordability straight and simple – a freeze on rents, free and fast buses, and affordable childcare make a compelling case for political change. This clarity of messaging explains why he found strong support across ethnicities, scripting a decisive voter shift. As Nancy Pelosi, veteran Democrat and former speaker of the US House of Representatives, told Edward Luce of the Financial Times, “Democracy is saved at the kitchen table.”</p>.<p>Mamdani’s stated move to tax the billionaires is where things get a touch tricky because he doesn’t have the power to do so. He has to co-opt the New York Governor and enlist many other stakeholders to do that. Politics is a sport that requires skills tailored to the context. For example, the rent-freeze proposal cannot be implemented unilaterally. Owners will withdraw properties from the market, causing a scarcity that will further raise the rents. This is an inherent risk that Mamdani has to navigate with caution.</p>.<p>Mamdani has already shown some precocious maturity in announcing veteran civil servant Dean Fuleihan as his first Deputy Mayor. The mayor-elect has his task cut out. He has to learn on the fly and build coalitions to win over all sections of society, including the technocrat billionaires he has criticised.</p>.<p>Zohran Mamdani has shown promise, but will he adapt? As is often the case, power intoxicates – the crown changes its wearer and hubris blinds them to reality. As Aldous Huxley said, “That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of the lessons that history has to teach.”</p>.<p><em>(The writer builds bridges, sometimes by tearing down walls. He is a soldier, farmer, and entrepreneur.)</em></p> <p><em>Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.</em></p>
