Who is Zohran Mamdani New York City’s new Mayor? Everything you need to know
New York City – With the official results now in, Zohran Kwame Mamdani has been declared the new mayor of New York City, marking a historic milestone for the city and a dramatic turn in its political landscape.
Early life and background
Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda.His parents are academician Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair. The family moved to South Africa for a period before settling in New York when Mamdani was about seven years old. He completed high school at The Bronx High School of Science and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College. Before entering elected office, Mamdani worked as a housing-counselor helping low-income homeowners in Queens fight foreclosure and eviction.
Political career
Mamdani entered electoral politics in 2020, when he ran for and won the seat representing the 36th District in the New York State Assembly (covering Astoria, Ditmars-Steinway and Astoria Heights in Queens). He took office on January 1, 2021. In the Assembly, his focus has been on housing affordability, tenants’ rights, public transit and other progressive issues.
In 2025, he challenged for the mayoralty of New York City. He emerged victorious in the Democratic primary, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo. With the general election now concluded and results confirmed, he becomes the first person of South Asian origin and the first Muslim mayor of New York City.
Platform and priorities
During his campaign, Mamdani pledged to address the high cost of living in the city. Key policy promises included:
• Free bus transit (eliminating fares) and transit relief.
• Major expansion of affordable housing and rent-freeze or strong rent protections for stabilized units.
• Tax increases on very high earners and large corporations to fund expanded public services such as free childcare.
• A focus on public safety reform and building services rather than purely relying on policing.
What this really means is the city is now poised for an agenda that strongly emphasises economic justice, transit accessibility and housing reform.
Controversies and challenges
Mamdani’s meteoric rise has not been without scrutiny. Some of the key issues include:
• Critics pointed to his relatively short professional experience and questioned whether he has sufficient governance experience to manage a city the size of New York.
• He has faced allegations from Hindu-American organisations that he made “Hinduphobic” remarks. These groups say his past statements and temple visits raise questions about his inclusivity.
• During a Diwali outreach event, Mamdani took a public dig at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was raised with a vision of pluralistic India and earlier referenced Modi as a “war criminal”.
• His national-scale clash with former President Donald Trump featured prominently in the race; Mamdani cast himself as a progressive immigrant leader prepared to counter Trump’s style and policies.
These controversies signal that his mayoralty will face both intense support and intense opposition.
Mamdani's victory is historic for several reasons: his immigrant background, his South Asian heritage, his identification with the democratic-socialist wing of the Democratic Party, and the scale of his policy ambitions. What this really means is the city will see bold campaigns on housing and transit, and national attention on how a progressive mayor navigates the complex machinery of New York City government and the interplay with state and federal authorities.
At the same time, his agenda will encounter institutional resistance from business interests, from state government, and from those who doubt his experience. Whether he can turn promises into delivery will define his tenure.
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Prasidh, Kuldeep limit South Africa to 270 after De Kock's hundred
Visakhapatnam (PTI): India fought back gallantly through Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav after Quinton de Kock struck his 23rd hundred, keeping South Africa to a manageable 270 in the third and series-deciding final ODI, here Saturday.
India won the toss after judging the spin of the coin incorrectly 20 times in a row. They had little hesitation in inserting the Proteas into bat, a clear indication of dew factor dominating the thought.
After Arshdeep Singh sent back Ryan Rickelton early, De Kock (106, 89b, 8x4, 6x4) struck his seventh century against India and put on 113 runs off 124 balls with skipper Temba Bavuma (48, 67b) as the visitors moved to a healthy position.
De Kock was severe on Prasidh (4/66), who erred on length continuously in his first spell (2-0-27-0). The left-hander biffed the pacer for 6, 6, 4 in his second over to milk 18 runs.
The 32-year-old quickly pounced on anything that was short, and pacers Prasidh and Harshit offered him plenty of feed on his pet areas.
Bavuma was more sedate, and made runs through those typical dabs and jabs, occasionally unfurling a drive of elan.
De Kock moved to fifty in 42 balls, and never let the tempo down reaching his hundred in 79 balls.
India found temporary relief when Ravindra Jadeja induced a false slash from Bavuma to get caught by Virat Kohli at point.
The tourists got another move on through a 54-run partnership between De Kock and Matthew Breetzkle for the third wicket, and at 168 for two in 28 overs they were in a good position to press on.
But Breetzke's punishment of part-time spinner Tilak Varma forced a rethink in the Indian camp, as skipper KL Rahul brought back Prasidh for a second spell.
What a masterstroke it turned out to be! The Karnataka man broke the back of South Africa’s top and middle order in an exceptional second spell (4-0-11-3).
Breetzke was the first man to go, trapped plumb in front with a straight one and four balls later Aiden Markram uppishly chipped a fuller delivery to Kohli at short covers.
Prasidh soon castled De Kock, whose ugly cross-batted swipe failed to connect a full length delivery from the pacer.
All of a sudden, SA found themselves at a shaky 199 for five, losing three wickets in the space of three overs.
Once Prasidh was done away with the top and middle-order, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep (4/41) took over and mopped up the tail as SA fell short of even a par total on this track.
