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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HC grants conditional permission for RSS guard of honour in Chittapur on November 16
Kalaburagi: The Kalaburagi Bench of the Karnataka High Court has granted the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) permission to hold a guard of honour in Chittapur on Sunday, November 16, under certain conditions.
The Chittapur tahsildar had refused permission for an RSS guard of honour on October 19, citing law and order issues. The order was challenged in court by petitioner Ashok Patil.
Justice MGS Kamal, who heard the case on Thursday, granted conditional permission for the RSS event, with 300 members and a band strength of 50 persons.
