Who is Zohran Mamdani, NYC Mayoral candidate? know his INDIAN connection, details here

A new political race for New York City’s mayor has started, which sees multiple candidates contesting for the November 4, 2025, poll. Incumbent Democratic mayor Eric Adams is seeking re-election to a second term in office. 

One of the 12 candidates seeking victory is Zohran Mamdani who is among the top two and has gained immense popularity for his progressive stance, reaching out to community by addressing their issues, massive fundraising, which have helped him rank high.  

Who is Zohran Mamdani? 

33-year-old Zohran Mamdani is the son of Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, while his father Mahmood Mamdani is an Indian-born Ugandan academic, author, and political commentator. Born as Zohran Kwame Mamdani in Kampala, Uganda, he was raised there for seven years after which the family moved to New York City. He graduated from the NYC Public School System and attended the Bronx High School of Science. He has also earned a bachelor's degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College. It was only in 2018 that he became an American citizen. 

Why Zohran Mamdani can be an ideal candidate? 

Zohran Mamdani started campaigning while being a field organizer for democratic socialist Tiffany Cabán's campaign for Queens District Attorney in 2019, which was unsuccessful. He then sought the New York State Assembly election, won and replaced four-term incumbent Aravella Simotas in a narrow victory. In this role, Mamdani advocated for progressive policies, like fare-free transit, finishing mass incarceration, controlling rent, and single-payer healthcare in the city.  

However, the socialist had resigned in 2021 as governor due to sexual misconduct accusations against him. 

Being a democratic socialist, he has advocated for labor unions, social welfare programs, and environmental protection during his campaigns and as a politician. He announced his candidacy in 2024 for the 2025 New York City mayoral election. He has proposed freezing rents on all stabilized tenants in New York, making bus service free and massively increasing funding for universal childcare. 

His direct engagement with communities who are often overlooked, like the working-class, Muslim voters, youth with ideas of change, he has redefined the urban political campaigning. He is the first South Asian man in the New York State Assembly, the first Ugandan and the third Muslim to get elected in the assembly. Through these agendas, Mamdani has presented a vision for change, challenging the traditional political set up. 

Zohran Mamdani’s fundraising 

For his candidature, he has fundraised over USD 840,000 (Rs 72,072,000) this year and has over 16,000 donors. After successfully raising USD 8 million (Rs 683,200,000), he reached the legal spending cap in the elections and therefore suspended fundraising. He became the first candidate to do so in the current election cycle.