NEW YORK, June 25: Indian-American lawmaker Zohran Kwame Mamdani secured a stunning victory over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. Declared the winner Tuesday night, Mamdani celebrated his success by quoting Nelson Mandela: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” The win marks a significant upset and positions Mamdani as the Democratic nominee for the November 4, 2025, mayoral election.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, on October 18, 1991, Mamdani moved to New York City with his parents at age seven. He is the son of acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, known for films like Monsoon Wedding and Salaam Bombay!, and Mahmood Mamdani, a prominent Ugandan academic of Indian descent. Zohran Mamdani is a democratic socialist and serves as a state assemblyman representing Queens. He is married to Brooklyn-based Syrian-born artist Rama Duwaji.
Mamdani’s campaign attracted widespread grassroots support and received praise from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who congratulated him and his supporters for overcoming the political and media establishment. Sanders said, “You took on the political, economic and media Establishment — and you beat them. Now it’s on to victory in the general election.”
Mamdani’s platform focuses heavily on addressing New York’s soaring cost of living and improving social services. His promises include an immediate rent freeze for all stabilized tenants and a commitment to build more affordable housing to reduce rental prices. He also plans to implement free, high-quality childcare for all New Yorkers aged 6 weeks to 5 years.
Another key pledge is to permanently eliminate fares on city buses, making public transit more accessible and efficient by adding bus priority lanes, queue jump signals, and dedicated loading zones to improve travel times.
Mamdani’s economic plan aims to fund these initiatives by raising the corporate tax rate to 11.5%, matching New Jersey’s, generating an estimated $5 billion. He also proposes a 2% flat tax on the city’s wealthiest 1%—those earning over $1 million annually—and reforms to procurement, contract oversight, and landlord fine enforcement to raise an additional $1 billion.
In his campaign, Mamdani emphasized his activism, including hunger strikes alongside taxi drivers to secure debt relief and efforts to increase funding for public transit improvements.
Cuomo conceded the race, acknowledging Mamdani’s win and saying, “Tonight is his night. He deserved it.” With this victory, Mamdani is poised to bring bold progressive policies to New York City’s mayoralty, targeting economic inequality and improving the quality of life for working families across the city. (PTI)
