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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Sri Rama Sene’s Ugadi wishes banner featuring PM Modi, Netanyahu in Belagavi goes viral, sparks row
Banner put up in response to earlier banners condemning killing of Khamenei in the city
A banner allegedly erected by Sri Rama Sene’s Belagavi unit, featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has drawn criticism amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
The banner featured an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and also included a depiction of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during the killing of Afzal Khan.
The development comes at a time when the Strait of Hormuz is blocked and LPG shortages are being reported across several sectors in the country.
The banners were reportedly placed at Samrat Ashoka Circle in the city.
Several users on the social media platform ‘X’ criticised the poster.
Sriram Sena puts up Netanyahu banners in Belagavi opposing Khamenei posters pic.twitter.com/y5b8kGe09O
— All About Belgaum | Belagavi News (@allaboutbelgaum) March 16, 2026
One user wrote, “Does Sena know he has been convicted by the International Criminal Court?”
“If Iran learns about this, then you're done for,” another user said.
According to reports, the banners were erected in opposition to banners condemning the killing of Ali Khamenei that had appeared earlier in the city.
In an ‘X’ post, Sri Rama Sene Founder Pramod Muttalik, stated, “there was a call to remove the photo of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei in Belgaum. However, since the corporation did not remove it, today Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is depicted as disemboweling Afzal Khan, and banners of the Israeli president and Modi were put up.”
ಬೆಳಗಾವಿಯಲ್ಲಿನ ಇರಾನ ಸರ್ವಾದಿಕಾರಿ ಖಮೇನಿ ಪೊಟೋ ತೆರವುಗಳಿಸಲು ಆಗ್ರಹಿಸಲಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾರ್ಪೊರೆಷನ ತೆರವುಗೊಳಿಸದ ಕಾರಣ ಇಂದು ಛತ್ರಪತಿಶಿವಾಜಿಮಹಾರಾಜರು ಅಫ್ಜಲ್ ಖಾನನ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ಹರಿದಿದ್ದು ಮತ್ತು ಇಸ್ರೆಲ ಅದ್ಯಕ್ಷ ಮತ್ತು ಮೋದಿ ಅವರಬ್ಯಾನರ ಹಾಕಲಾಯಿತು #Netanyahu #chhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj #Belgaum #PramodMutalik pic.twitter.com/GUlHv2QadU
— Pramod Mutalik Official (@PramodMuta39880) March 16, 2026
Meanwhile local reports suggest that such banners were placed in different parts of the city including RTO circle and Killa Circle.
When Varta Bharathi contacted Belagavi City Police Bhushan Gulabrao Borase, for a comment, he refused to comment on the matter.
