Meet Zohran Mamdani, New York’s Democratic Mayoral Candidate; What is His Link With Salaam Bombay's Mira Nair

Thirty-three-year-old Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani outshone his competitors by gaining a commanding lead to secure the Democratic nomination and the mayoralty of New York City on Tuesday night. With this, Mamdani has won the primary race and is eyeing becoming the first Muslim and Indian American to lead the US's largest city.

Zohran Mamdani defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo in a closely watched ranked-choice primary. Mamdani's performance has come as a shock to Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York City, who was attempting to pull off a political comeback after his exit from office in 2021.

During his public address after the results, jubilant Zohran Mamdani said, "Tonight, we made history." "I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City.

Who is Zohran Mamdani?Know His India Connection

While the left-leaning Mamdani has sent ripples in American politics, currently dominated by Republicans, his ancestral roots have raised significant interest among Indians. Zohran Mamdani was born in 1991 to Indian-origin parents Mira Nair and an India-born Ugandan academician, Mahmood Mamdani.

He spent his early childhood years in Cape Town and had attended St George's Grammar School. Later, Mamdani, along with his parents, shifted to New York. He pursued his graduation from Bank Street School of Children and the Bronx High School of Science.

Zohran Mamdani's Connection with Mira Nair

Zohran Mamdani's mother, Mira Nair, is a well-known name in the film industry with her directed movies like 'Salaam Bombay', 'Monsoon Wedding', etc. Growing up with parents with Indian and Ugandan roots, Mamdani had an indelible impact of the two on his life. His identity has attracted large numbers of younger, left-leaning voters. This factor also helped him gain an upper edge against Cumo's moderate base.

Who is Mira Nair?

Mira Nair is a globally renowned Indian-American filmmaker. Her production company has produced movies like Mississippi Masala, The Namesake, the Golden Lion-winning Monsoon Wedding, and Salaam Bombay! Etc.Mira Nair was born on October 15, 1957, in Rourkela in Odisha. She grew up in Bhubaneswar, and her father, er Amrit Lal Nair, was an Indian Administrative Service officer. Although she grew up in Odisha, her family is of Punjabi origin with roots in Delhi.

Mamdani's Palestinian Connection And Family

During his college life, Mamdani had also co-founded Students for Justice in Palestine. He had also volunteered for Khader El-Yateem's 2017 City Council bid and managed Ross Barkan's State Senate campaign. Zohran Mamdani is a practising Shia Muslim, and he was married to Syrian artist Rama Duwaji in 2025.

Returning to Mamdani's candidature in NewYorkk City's electoral race for Mayor, there are chances that he may maintain his lead during the coming rounds of vote counting. According to unofficial results from New York City's Board of Elections, Mamdani appeared more on ballots than Andrew Cuomo.

New York City has adopted the ranked-choice voting system, where voters can rank up to five top choices for the party's nomination in order of preference rather than picking just one candidate. The system was adopted in 2019 and was first used in 2021. As Mamdani has yet to gain the 50% majority in the vote counting. There will be another round of voting to identify the winning candidate.