Historic Victory: Zohran Mamdani Becomes New York's First Muslim and South Asian Mayor, Receives Praise from Shashi Tharoor

New Delhi: Shashi Tharoor expressed his admiration for Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday morning, celebrating what he called a "spectacular victory" in the New York mayoral election. The Congress MP extended congratulations to Mamdani's family, including acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair and his uncles, whom Tharoor mentioned were his fellow alumni from St Stephen's College in Delhi.

The 34-year-old Mamdani completed what The New York Times described as an 'improbable run' with remarkable success, decisively defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo by more than nine percentage points. Mamdani secured over 900,000 votes compared to Cuomo's 744,000.

"Wonderfully apt..." Tharoor posted on X, sharing a screenshot of the NYT's election results.

Mamdani's victory marks several historic firsts for New York City - he becomes the city's first Muslim mayor, first of South Asian heritage, and first born in Africa. This milestone highlights the importance of religious and racial diversity in addressing challenges that affect populations worldwide.

Tharoor shared on X: "Wonderfully apt! Warmest congratulations to my old friend @MiraPagliNair on her son @ZohranKMamdani's spectacular victory and to his uncles, my Stephanian friends Vicky and Gautam Nair, for their nephew's triumph!"

At 34, Mamdani will also become New York's youngest mayor in over a century.

Following his victory, Mamdani shared a video on X showing a New York subway train arriving at City Hall station, with "Zohran For New York City" appearing on the wall. The subway announcement "The next and last stop is City Hall" plays in the background - a symbolic reference to the location of the mayor's office.

Mamdani combined enthusiasm with social media expertise to emerge as a rising star within the Democratic party, though his candidacy created ideological divisions. Former President Donald Trump, who has frequently involved himself in his hometown's politics, falsely labeled Mamdani a communist.

However, Mamdani's grassroots campaign resonated with voters by focusing on affordability issues. His platform included a rent freeze on stabilized units, construction of 200,000 public housing units, universal childcare, tuition-free education, fare-free buses, and city-operated grocery stores - policies that made him popular among everyday New Yorkers.

He also advocated for raising the minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030, to be funded through increased taxes on millionaires and corporations. Additionally, Mamdani proposed redirecting police resources toward community services and expanding public transit and cycling infrastructure.

The mayoral race generated the highest voter turnout in over 50 years, with more than two million New Yorkers casting ballots, according to the city's Board of Elections.