Zohran Mamdani wins New York City mayoral elections, becomes first Indian-American mayor

Zohran Mamdani the 34yearold Indianorigin democratic socialist lawmaker pulled off a stunning victory in the fiercely contested New York City mayoral elections becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to be elected to lead the largest city in the US reported news agency PTIMamdani the Ugandanborn son of Indianorigin parents mdash his mother is renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and father is academic Mahmood Mamdani mdash defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis SliwaHe won the NYC mayoral election getting 948202 votes 506 per cent with 83 per cent of the votes countedHe had been the frontrunner in the NYC mayoral race for months and on Tuesday defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo who ran as an independent candidate and received US President Donald Trumprsquos endorsement only on the eve of the electionCuomo garnered 776547 votes 413 per cent while Sliwa got 137030 votesThe NYC Board of Elections said that two million votes were cast for the first time since 1969 with checkins in Manhattan at 444439 followed by Bronx 187399 Brooklyn 571857 Queens 421176 and Staten Island 123827Mamdani had upset Cuomo in the Democratic primary race for New York City mayor and was declared victorious in June this yearldquoZohran Mamdani is running for Mayor to lower the cost of living for workingclass New Yorkersrdquo his campaign had said as the young politician continued to garner support among youth and workingclass New Yorkers who have been reeling under the burden of high costs and job insecurities amid a tough economic and political climate in the country reported PTIWith Mamdanirsquos win New York City and the US entered a new political and ideological era with the democratic socialist now at the helm of a global financial capitalIndianorigin Mamdani is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani He was born and raised in Kampala Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was 7 Mamdani became a naturalised US citizen only recently in 2018New York City Mayorelect Zohran Mamdani declared that his victory toppled a ldquopolitical dynastyrdquo as he quoted former Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru saying the city has ldquostepped out from the old into the newrdquo reported PTIldquoFriends we have toppled a political dynasty I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life but let tonight be the final time I utter his name as we turn the page on a politics that abandons the many and answers only to the few New York tonight you have deliveredrdquo Mamdani said in his victory speech Tuesday night as the polls declared him winner in the 2025 elections to a rousing reception from supportersldquoWe won because New Yorkers allowed themselves to hope that the impossible could be made possible and we won because we insisted that no longer would politics be something that is done to us Now it is something that we dordquo he said reported PTIldquoStanding before you I think of the words of Jawaharlal Nehru mdash a moment comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new when an age ends and when the soul of a nation longsuppressed finds utterance Tonight we have stepped out from the old into the newrdquoWith inputs from PTI