Mamdani’s mayoral primary win divides diaspora

Indian-American Zohran Kwame Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic mayoral primary has shaken up New York City politics, community members said, even as US President Donald Trump lashed out at the young lawmaker, calling him a “100% Communist Lunatic”.

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Mamdani, 33, son of Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan author of Indian ancestry, was declared victorious in the Democratic mayoral primary Tuesday night.

“It’s finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line. Zohran Mamdani, a 100% Communist Lunatic, has just won the Dem Primary, and is on his way to becoming Mayor,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday.

“We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart, he’s got AOC+3, Dummies ALL, backing him, and even our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, is groveling over him. Yes, this is a big moment in the History of our Country!” he said.

Sree Sreenivasan, CEO of Digimentors and long-time observer of media and politics, said that Mamdani’s win had “shaken up NYC politics” in ways he has not seen in his four decades in the city.

‘SOS by NYC’

Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra, citing Trump’s comment on Mamdani, said a defunder of police was a nominee. He added that this was an “SOS by NYC and a truly new Eric Adams has to step up”.

Batra said, as a legal immigrant, like most immigrants before or after, “we came to America because we love her. We came to America to cherish it...None of us came to America to change it to become the land we left behind. And yes, as honourable members of the diaspora, we wished that the land we left behind would become durable American allies”.

‘Significant for representation’

Ajay Bhutoria, former advisor to US President Joe Biden, said Mamdani’s historic win in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary as the first South Asian and Muslim candidate to secure a major-party nomination was a significant moment for the community’s representation.