Zohran Mamdani made history as he was elected as the first Muslim, first Indian-origin, first South Asian and the youngest mayor on New York City on Tuesday. The 34-year-old defeated Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and former governor Andrew Cuomo—his win is being considered as a powerful statement about the changing face of American politics.
Born in 1991, in Kampala, Uganda, to Mahmood Mamdani, a scholar of postcolonial theory, and Mira Nair, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake, he moved to New York City at the age of seven. He attended the Bronx High School of Science, before attending college at Bowdoin where he tried his hand in rapping and music with the stage name “Young Cardamom”. Before stepping into politics, Mamdani worked as a housing counsellor, where he helped low-income families navigate the threat of eviction. His political journey began in 2020, when he won a seat in the New York State Assembly, representing the diverse neighbourhoods of Astoria and Ditmars-Steinway in Queens.
In keeping with his mother’s connections to the Indian film industry, Mamdani’s campaign was replete with references to Bollywood—his videos featured iconic dialogues like Deewar’s “Aaj mere paas buildingein hain…” to the 1974 film title Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, and “Aapka Time Aagaya”, cheekily rephrased from the Gully Boy anthem ‘Apna Time Aayega’. In one viral clip, Mamdani explained ranked-choice voting using five mango lassi cups, each representing a voter’s ranking. His videos were widely shared and added a fun element to usual staid campaign speeches.
Even after the win, in his speech, Mamdani quoted Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, and walked off the stage to the wildly popular Bollywood tune “Dhoom Machale” playing in the background.
The key colour chosen was yellow, intended as a nod to bodega signage (the distinctive and often hand-painted signs found on small, independent corner stores, or bodegas, especially in New York City), and taxi drivers. The colour was selected for its vibrancy and because it lacked the established political context of red, blue, or green in the US. As told to Forbes India in a previous interview, Bhoopathy said: “Zohran had strong message discipline regarding his three main proposals: Fast and free buses, freeze the rent, and universal childcare.” Mamdani also sent him Bollywood-inspired posters to push for the use of more expressive typography.
Another unique element of the campaign was that all the materials were translated into up to eight languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Creole, and Spanish. He also released campaign videos in some of these languages, reaching out directly to immigrant communities often overlooked in traditional political outreach. By weaving in familiar languages, he made politics feel intimate and inclusive. For many South Asian voters, his messaging wasn’t just relatable but also reflective of their lived experiences.
First Published: Nov 05, 2025, 15:20
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