Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Indian-origin politician from the the US, has become the talk of the town for all the right reasons. On Tuesday, June 24, he beat New York governor Andrew Cuomo to win New York City's Democratic mayoral primary election. Zohran secured nearly 43% of the vote, emerging as the winner.
Born in Uganda in 1991 to Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani is an American politician and community organiser.??
He immigrated to the U.S. as a child and grew up? in New York City. He later graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in Africana Studies. Before running for office, he worked as a foreclosure prevention counselor and guided? tenants facing housing issues. He once said that this experience encouraged him to pursue an active career in politics as he wanted a platform to address the ¡®affordability crisis¡¯. Mamdani eventually entered New York politics as a volunteer for Ali Najmi's campaign in the 2015 special election for New York City's 23rd City Council district
A few years later, in 2020, Mamdani beat Aravella Simotasto enter the New York assembly. He later won the re-election with no Republican opposition. He was also re-elected without opposition in 2022 and 2024. He has often been in the news because of his strong views and believes that policing does little to improve things, as the key (to controlling crime) lies in economic stability.?
Zohran Mamdani is married to Rama Duwaji, a Syrian artist. In a recent interview, he revealed that he met her on Hinge (a dating app). He further added that his experience taught him that dating apps still work and urged people to believe in them. He also said that one needs to give more to their partners in today¡¯s fast-paced day and age for relationships to flourish. He added that ¡®afforability is about romance¡¯.
Interestingly, Rama is an accomplished professional in her own right. Her illustrations have appeatred across publications such as New Yorker and VICE. She is based in Brooklyn,?