Meet Zohran Mamdani: Indian-origin NYC’s mayoral candidate, son of director Mira Nair
New York: In a stunning political upset, 33-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani has secured the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in a high-stakes ranked-choice primary held Tuesday night.
“I will be the mayor for every New Yorker, whether you voted for me, for governor Cuomo, or felt too disillusioned by a long-broken political system to vote at all,” Mamdani told his supporters.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, on October 18, 1991, Mamdani is the son of acclaimed Indian-origin filmmaker Mira Nair and Indian-born Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani. He spent his early years in Cape Town, South Africa, before moving to New York City at age of seven.
Educated at the Bank Street School, Bronx High School of Science, and Bowdoin College, where he earned a degree in Africana Studies, Mamdani’s path to politics was shaped by activism. As a college student, he co-founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, laying the foundation for his progressive ethos.
Mamdani’s organising work spans several grassroots campaigns, including those of Khader El-Yateem, Ross Barkan, and Tiffany Cabán. In 2019, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, representing Astoria and Long Island City.
His legislative agenda has focused on affordable housing, immigrant rights, and public transit—themes that also defined his mayoral campaign.
A practicing Shia Muslim, Mamdani recently married Syrian artist Rama Duwaji. His campaign has drawn from his cultural heritage, using Bollywood-inspired messaging such as “roti, kapda, aur makaan”—a slogan from the 1974 classic of the same name—to advocate for basic economic dignity.
His historic candidacy has galvanised younger, left-leaning voters, and with the Democratic nomination in hand, Mamdani, if elected in November, would become New York City’s first Muslim and first Indian-American mayor—a milestone in the city’s political history.
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In MP assembly, Vijayvargiya uses unparliamentary word for LoP Singhar; CM Yadav extends apology
Bhopal (PTI): Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya stirred a controversy when he used an unparliamentary word for the Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar, prompting speaker Narendra Singh Tomar and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to express regret.
During the discussion on the motion of thanks on the Governor’s address in the Assembly on Thursday, the parliamentary affairs minister lost his cool, triggering an uproar.
While participating in the discussion, Singhar cited an agreement between the government and the Adani group in Singrauli and claimed the government was preparing to pay the company Rs 1.25 lakh crore over 25 years in the name of power purchase.
Minister Vishwas Sarang objected to this and said the name of a person not present in the House should not be mentioned, while Vijayvargiya accused Singhar of giving false information.
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Singhar hit back, saying he was willing to provide proof if needed. This led to a heated debate and exchange of accusations between the two, during which Vijayvargiya used an unparliamentary word.
Following this, opposition Congress members sought Vijayvargiya’s resignation, and amid the ruckus, Tomar adjourned the House for a while.
When the House reconvened, Tomar regretted the “uncomfortable situation”.
Referring to former chief minister Sunderlal Patwa, Tomar recalled the ex-CM would often say that anger should be visible while speaking in the House, but it should not reflect.
“Anger shouldn’t arise, but it did today, from both sides. It created an uncomfortable situation. I’m saddened by this, and both the ruling and opposition parties are responsible for this. The parliamentary affairs minister is very experienced, yet how the limits were crossed today is a matter of concern for all of us,” Tomar said and urged both sides to resolve the dispute.
Chief Minister Yadav said he apologised to the House for the words that had been uttered, whether knowingly or unknowingly.
Singhar said he respects the CM’s expression and respects parliamentary decorum. “If something has happened on my part, I also express regret,” Singhar added.
Vijayvargiya too said he has 37 years of political experience, but was unhappy with his behaviour. If people in responsible positions don't follow parliamentary decorum, how can other members do it, he asked.
“I don’t know how all this happened today. Umang’s body language was a little different... I love Umang... I am saddened by my behaviour,” Vijayvargiya said.
Later, Singhar claimed in a post on X that he always stays within his limits.
“My status is to boldly raise the questions of the 7.5 crore people of Madhya Pradesh before your arrogant government. This very status of mine dwarfed you so much that your true nature was revealed; this very status of mine forced you to debate Bhagirathpura,” Singhar said in the media post.
The abusive language used by Vijayvargiya was an insult to the people of MP, he added.
“Minister Vijayvargiya, who treats the public like insects, has truly demonstrated his arrogance. 35 families were destroyed, people were rendered homeless - and when you ask questions, you’re told, ‘stay within your limits!’,” Singhar said.
The Congress leader said public representatives have become so power-drunk that they have begun to consider themselves superior to the people.
“The very people you are trying to remind them of their place will show their true place on an election day. Madhya Pradesh will not tolerate insults. The people know how to respond democratically to an incompetent government driven by arrogance and insensitivity,” Singhar said.
MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari described Vijayvargiya’s behaviour as the height of arrogance and said this is a new manifestation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘New India’.
Patwari said the Congress would protest by burning Vijayvargiya's effigies. Shortly after his announcement, some Youth Congress workers burned a poster of Vijayvargiya outside his residence in Bhopal.
Recently, Vijayvargiya sparked a row when he used the word “ghanta”, a slang often used loosely to mean “nonsense” or “rubbish”, to dismiss a reporter’s question concerning drinking water contamination in Indore.
