Dhoom time in NY: Zoh jeeta, wahi sikandar

At the start of this year, assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who joined the New York City mayoral race in 2024, was polling at 1%. Few New Yorkers had heard of him. And, as NYT put it, “his own political team put the odds of winning at 3%”.But by June, everything had changed. In the Democratic primary for NYC mayor, Mamdani stunned former governor, Andrew M Cuomo — a hardened veteran — and looked all set to become the next mayor of NYC.When the mayoral polls were held last Tuesday, more than two million turned out to vote — almost double the number of voters four years ago — and Mamdani bagged more than a million votes, over 50%.

Before He Made HeadlinesMamdani went to Bronx High School of Science (Class of 2010), where he co-founded the school’s cricket team and edited the student paper.He then went to Bowdoin College, doing a BA in Africana Studies (2014).After college, he worked as a housing counsellor and also worked on progressive NYC campaigns before winning his first NYC assembly seat in 2020.On the side, he was also a rapper, performing and releasing music under the name of Mr Cardamom.Hitched On HingeMamdani met Rama Duwaji — now 28 — on the dating app Hinge after she moved to New York in 2021; they later held a small civil wedding at City Hall late in Feb this year.

Duwaji is a Syrian-American illustrator/animator (and ceramicist), based in Brooklyn.She did her BFA (communication arts/design) at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2019. And then an MFA (Illustration as Visual Essay) at School of Visual Arts, New York.She now works as an illustrator/animator whose clients include The New Yorker, The Washington Post, BBC, Apple, Spotify, VICE, Tate Modern; she also makes hand-built ceramics.Where They LiveThe couple lives in a one-bedroom rent-stablised apartment at Astoria, Queens, and reportedly pays a rent of around $2,300 a month. Mamdani also reportedly doesn’t own a car and relies on public transport to commute.Mamdani will get a considerable salary bump, though. As a New York State assembly member, his base salary is $142,000 a year. As New York City mayor, he will be paid $258,750 a year.His PoliticsMamdani is a democratic socialist. In political terms, democratic socialism aims to move beyond (not merely regulate) capitalism by putting key parts of the economy under democratic control — through public or worker ownership — while maintaining robust civil democracy (elections, civil liberties).The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the group Mamdani is affiliated with, sums it up as running the economy “to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few”, and campaigns for things like Medicare for All and a Green New Deal.

Stand On Key Issues: Ownership & MarketsMainstream Democrats accept private ownership as primary and use regulation and taxes to steer outcomes.Democratic socialists want greater public or cooperative ownership in strategic sectors (health, energy, transit, broadband) and formal power for workers in firm governance.Labour PowerDemocrats : Support unions but focus on firm-by-firm organising.Democratic Socialists: Push sectoral bargaining, easier unionisation, and worker seats on boards.Political Economy GoalDemocrats: “Make capitalism fairer.”Democratic Socialists: Democratise the economy and ultimately reduce capitalism’s role where basic needs and strategic capacities are at stake.His Flip-Flops: PolicingInitial Stance | In 2020, after the death of George Floyd, Mamdani had made repeated calls to slash NYPD’s budget, calling the city police force “racist”, “anti-queer”, “a major threat to public safety”, “an institution this wicked and corrupt”.

“Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence”, he wrote on X.Revised Take | In late July, after a mass shooting in New York, Mamdani said he is not running to defund the police, calling his 2020 posts “out of step”, while laying out a plan to maintain the department’s headcount and curb overtime. He also apologised to the NYPD.‘Intifada’ SloganInitial Stance | In June, before the primary, Mamdani declined to condemn the phrase, which many Jewish people interpret as a call to violence against them.

Facing criticism, he said it was “not the language I use” but was also consistent in saying that the mayor should not police language.Revised Take | After weeks of refusing to denounce the phrase, he told business leaders and TV audiences that he wouldn’t use it and that he would discourage others from using it.On Gov Kathy HochulInitial Stance | Mamdani was a sharp critic of Hochul. In Feb 2024, he blasted her as “justifying genocide… disgusting.”Revised Take | By Sept, he welcomed her endorsement and appeared with her, signalling a pragmatic truce despite policy gaps.On HamasInitial Stance | Earlier in the race, he said he “didn’t really have opinions” on whether Hamas should disarm.Revised Take | In the Oct 17 televised debate, he said Hamas should “lay down their arms”, while continuing to condemn Israel’s war conduct.Tone Towards Biz CommunityInitial Stance | During primaries, Mamdani’s populist message spooked business interests. In a city full of many of the most fabulously wealthy people in the world, he declared, “I don’t think we should have billionaires”, leading some of those billionaires to openly back Andrew Cuomo.Revised Take | Over the summer, Mamdani moved to reassure executives, saying he’d discourage polarising rhetoric and that he wasn’t out to harm the city’s business climate — a softer posture than his earlier anti-Wall Street messaging.