The politics of New York City had long been trapped in a complex equation as the port city in the northeastern US was confined within immense financial power, a powerful real estate lobby, the overtly and covertly biased media, and the entrenched influential groups within the Democratic Party (Bill Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Andrew Cuomo, Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama). In this context, the November 4, 2025 Mayoral Election was not just an ordinary election, but an attempt to challenge the stronghold of power politics.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a 34-year-old first-generation immigrant, accepted the challenge as his leadership signals a highly significant change in contemporary US politics. There are three main forces behind his political journey. His organisational strength and application of democratic socialism have successfully extended democracy to the grassroots level. Secondly, his fearless confidence in immigrant and minority identities. And most importantly, the impact of growing up in an intercultural and progressive family. Billions of Dollars had been continuously poured into the ultra-wealthy circles of the Bloomberg-Clinton ilk and politicians, like Andrew Cuomo, and the real estate lobby for a long time. In other words, the financial power has controlled the city politics for so many years and the New Yorkers have witnessed the aggression of financial strength, from the city’s housing crisis to the Police budget.

The resentment of working-class New Yorkers, which had been building up for a long time, took the form of a well-organised political movement in a rare first, with Mamdani at its centre. Nearly 0.1 million volunteers have been working for him for a year under the leadership of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Party. No major lobbies or wealthy donors backed his campaign. Instead, Mamdani had subway drivers, small shopkeepers, app-based delivery drivers, college and university students, some progressive labour unions and numerous poor residents of public housing complexes with him. The solidarity among working people in New York evolved over nearly five years of continuous struggle, rather than developing overnight. The increase in room rent, stagnant wages, growing economic inequality, Police brutality and the contraction of social services have prompted ordinary people to look for an alternative path in recent times. Mamdani has translated the democratic socialist vision for governance, which stands in contrast to the status quo of Centrist Neoliberal Politics, into language, policy and plans.

The unpleasant reality of Mamdani’s entire campaign was the biased role of the media. The US media, highly influenced by President Donald John Trump, branded him a communist from the very beginning. It may be noted that the term communist carries a significant socio-political stigma in that country because of historical events, like the Cold War and the Red Scares. The Muslim identity is still not viewed favourably in US politics, as well. Furthermore, the spectre of Trumpism now looms large, and authoritarian, as well as oppressive, treatment of immigrants has become a common phenomenon.

In such a scenario, Mamdani, a young follower of Islam who offers prayer publicly, has transformed his identity into a political force. It should not be considered as an individual courage, but a long-overdue recognition of the century-old struggle of Muslim-Americans and of immigrants who have been victims of racism and xenophobia. Workers, taxi drivers, restaurant staff, small business owners and school teachers are the people who have built the vast economy of New York with their labour. The Wall Street skyscrapers were built with their sweat and blood. Yet, they never had a place at the centre of political power.

The recent election of Mamdani as the Mayor of New York City is being widely cited as a historic moment that highlights the growing political force of minority identities in the US. The electoral victory of Mamdani, who is the city’s first Muslim, first South Asian-American and youngest mayor in a century, is also seen as a significant symbol of tolerance and diversity in American society, particularly in a post-9/11 era where Muslim identity often faced challenges in mainstream politics.

Mamdani’s family background has shaped his political views. He was born in Kampala, Uganda, on October 18, 1991 to academic Mahmood Mamdani and Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. Nair’s acclaimed films, like Salaam Bombay! and Mississippi Masala, are celebrated not only for their cinematic quality, but also as profound human and political expressions that shine a spotlight on the lives and experiences of marginalised communities. Her directorial works consistently explore themes of migration, displacement, cultural identity and social dynamics. His father Mahmood Mamdani, an Indian-Ugandan anthropologist, academic and political commentator, has nurtured his analytical mind. These two qualities – humanity and rationality – have helped Mamdani to become a strong leader with a clear vision. He does not merely seek political popularity, but understands the acute economic and cultural disparities, and suggests ways to address them.

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo and his wealthy backers thought they could easily defeat Mamdani with the help of fear, personal attacks and financial strength. This included advertisements and mailers that the Mamdani campaign and others accused of using Islamophobic tropes. They also portrayed him as a radical and too risky for the city. However, personal insults and attacks, threats of revoking citizenship and racist propaganda have further inspired, as well as organised, the common people. Despite the substantial financial backing for Cuomo, Mamdani’s campaign, which focused on affordability and was powered by a large volunteer base and social media outreach, ultimately defeated the well-funded establishment efforts.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani has emerged as a symbol of a historic rise of working-class democracy in the contemporary US as a non-violent, democratic revolution has unfolded in broad daylight in New York.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das