Zohran Kwame Mamdani, son of filmmaker Mira Nair, wins election to New York State Assembly
New York: Indian-Ugandan Zohran Kwame Mamdani, son of filmmaker Mira Nair, has won the election for New York State Assembly, one of two candidates of Indian-origin elected to NY state office.
It's official: we won. I'm going to Albany to fight to tax the rich, heal the sick, house the poor & build a socialist New York. But I can't do it alone. To win socialism, we'll need a mass movement of the multiracial working class as well. So let's build one, Mamdani tweeted.
A report in patch.com said Mamdani, 29, Democratic nominee for the 36th Assembly District, ran unopposed in the general election after defeating incumbent Assembly Member Aravella Simotas in the Democratic primary election in June.
He had got 8,410 votes or 51.2 percent of the ballots cast in the June primary while Simotas had got 48.6 percent of the votes. Mamdani got an automatic win once the polls closed Tuesday night in New York City.
He is a first-time candidate for elected office and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America or DSA.
In a tweet, Nair said, "And Zohran is in! Change is gonna come."
On his website, Mamdani said he is running for State Assembly because it's time to guarantee housing to all New Yorkers as a right, regardless of ability to pay. It's time to desegregate our schools, fully eliminate cash bail, ban solitary confinement, fund and fix the MTA, end workplace discrimination, and fight for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice for the many, not the few.
Mamdani said this election isn't about a single candidate but about a movement.
As a democratic socialist, I know that we'll never win the rights we all deserve - rights to healthcare, housing, education, nutrition, childcare, and public power - without a grassroots movement of the working class rising up to demand them. Another world is possible, but only if we fight for it together.
Mamdani was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, and grew up in New York City after his family moved here when he was seven years old.
Indian-American lawyer Jenifer Rajkumar also got elected to New York State Assembly, becoming the first South Asian woman elected to NY state office.
Rajkumar, Democratic Nominee for NY State Assembly, is a Stanford-educated lawyer and immigrant-rights advocate.
Congratulations to @JeniferRajkumar on becoming the first South Asian woman elected to NY state office! Jenifer is a longtime public servant and legal advocate, and we know she'll be a strong advocate for South Asian voices in Albany, the Indian American Impact Fund tweeted.
Rajkumar will represent New York City in the state legislature. The 38th Assembly District includes Woodhaven, Ridgewood, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, and Glendale.
Rajkumar is a lawyer, Professor at the City University of New York, and a former New York State Government official. According to her profile on her website, Rajkumar has early roots in public service. She graduated from Stanford Law School with distinction for her pro bono legal work on behalf of vulnerable individuals.
Her parents immigrated to the United States from India and settled in the Queens neighborhood of New York.
Rajkumar serves on the Legal Advisory Council of Sanctuary for Families, New York City's leading service provider, and advocates for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and related forms of gender violence. She has spoken on public interest law and policy at Stanford Law School, CUNY Law School, and Harvard Law School.
In 2015 and 2016, she was selected to Super Lawyers' New York-Metro Rising Stars List, a recognition given to no more than 2.5% of the lawyers in New York. Her profile said Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo had appointed her as the Director of Immigration Affairs & Special Counsel for New York State.
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Rupee rises 6 paise to 89.92 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee witnessed range-bound trade in the morning session on Friday, appreciating by 6 paise to 89.92 against the US dollar as thin liquidity conditions accentuated everyday demand-supply imbalances, keeping the rupee tilted toward weakness.
Forex traders said the USD/INR pair is expected to trade in a narrow range as the 90 level is being protected by the Reserve Bank of India.
Moreover, the support from positive domestic equities was offset by sustained foreign fund outflows.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 89.95 against the US dollar, then gained some ground and touched 89.92, rising by six paise from its previous close.
On Thursday, the rupee depreciated 10 paise to close at 89.98 against the US dollar.
"Unless RBI comes and sells dollars heavily, the movement is going to be in small ranges as seen in the last three sessions. The pair is seen in a holding pattern between 89.80 and 90, considering the narrow range," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director at Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
Bhansali further noted that corporate demand, FPI demand, and government demand have been the salient features of the rupee over the past year, during which it fell by more than 5 per cent and became the worst-performing Asian currency, though partly protected by the RBI.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading marginally down by 0.15 per cent at 98.17.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.38 per cent higher at USD 61.08 per barrel in futures trade.
"With early-year liquidity still thin and domestic fundamentals offering a mixed but stable backdrop, the rupee appears set to remain range-bound in the near term. As long as USD/INR stays below the 90 handle, the balance of risks tilts mildly in favour of the rupee," CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari said, adding that against this backdrop, USD/INR is expected to trade in a 89.30–90.20 range.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex climbed 158.19 points to 85,346.79 in early trade, while the Nifty was up 55.8 points to 26,202.35.
Foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth Rs 3,268.60 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
On the domestic macroeconomic front, gross GST collections rose 6.1 per cent to over Rs 1.74 lakh crore in December 2025, on slow growth in revenues from domestic sales following the sweeping tax cuts, according to government data released on Thursday.
Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue in December 2024 was over Rs 1.64 lakh crore.
