Beyond his identity as the son of postcolonial theorist Mahmood Mamdani and legendary filmmaker Mira Nair, Zohran Mamdani is on his path to possibly becoming New York City’s first Indian-American and Muslim Mayor. Slipping past his front-running Democratic rival Andrew Cuomo, the 33-year-old newcomer is expected to go up against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who’s running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa in November’s general election.

Although the final results of the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary for America’s most populous city are not expected until later this year, Mamdani is already poised to take the lead. After scandal-ridden Cuomo conceded to him, the Democratic socialist declared victory among his supporters on Tuesday night. But not everyone is celebrating his projected early win, especially given the multiple reminders of his controversial and divisive political bent. 

Indian-American mayoral candidate’s anti-Modi comments resurface

At an event earlier this year, the 33-year-old drew severe backlash for likening Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He ended up alluding to the 2002 Gujarat riots when a man asked if he was onboard with the idea of partnering up with the Indian leader for a press conference after his Madison Square Garden rally.

Although he was the last person to answer on a panel of three officials, Mamdani was also the only one to go into great details about why his answer was a firm “No.”

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Unexpectedly revealing his own roots as a Gujarati Muslim due to his father’s heritage being tied to the Indian state, the Democrat accused Modi of helping “to orchestrate what was a mass slaughter of Muslims in Gujarat.”

He continued, “To the extent that we don’t even believe there are Gujarati Muslims anymore… And this is someone we should view in the same manner that we do Benjamin Netanyahu, this is a war criminal.”

His anti-Modi rhetoric in May incited scathing accusations against him for pitting Muslims and Hindus against each other. Fellow Indian-origin politician Jennifer Rajkumar torched his “divide rhetoric,” just as human rights lawyer Jaspreet Singh condemned his “hatred comment,” as per the New York Post.

Zohran Mamdani’s early days of politics, pro-Palestinian advocacy

While his policies have won over hearts on one end, the entire spectrum of voters and lawmakers is not on his side. Born in Uganda, he moved to New York when he was 7 years old, ultimately becoming a US citizen in 2018.

Even though he was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020, he’s long been active in politics. According to the Washington Post, Bowdoin College – where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies – laid out the foundation as he went on to co-found the school’s Student for Justice in Palestine chapter.

Given his prior involvements in the issue, Zohran Mamdani has remained a vocal critic of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza. His ties to the morally divisive discourse ultimately also sparked a controversy when he refused to condemn the “Globalise the intifada” slogan during a podcast with Tim Miller.

While pro-Palestinian masses view it as a phrase advocating for global mobilisation in support of the Palestinian resistance, some Jews have deemed it an expression inciting violence against Israeli and Jews. But as for Mamdani, it touches on a “desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.” On the contrary, Andrew Cuomo slammed his argument, saying that the words fuelled sentiments of “hate” and “murder.”

He further prompted instant condemnation among other US lawmakers. New Jersey Rep Josh Gottheimer called Mamdani’s comments “pathetic, hateful lies,” and “a blatant slap in the face of the Jewish community.” Similarly, Rep Dan Goldman, a Jewish Democrat from New York, said, “If Mr Mamdani is unwilling to heed the request of major Jewish organizations to condemn this unquestionably antisemitic phrase, then he is unfit to lead a city with 1.3 million Jews.”

The mayoral candidate, who is well aware of sharp criticism rising against him, did not retract his remarks, but later responded, “There’s no room for antisemitism in this city and this country.”

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When Zohran Mamdani’s rap career collided with a Hamas-funding group

As a former rapper who once went by “Mr Cardamom,” the socialist NYC mayoral candidate released a shocking rap track in 2017. In a song called “Salaam,” which he says maps out an autobiographical timeline about growing up Muslim in New York, Mamdani sent his “love to convicted Hamas funders,” as per the Canary Mission, a group fighting antisemitism.

Therein, he’s heard praising the heads of the now-defunct Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development – collectively known as the “Holy Land Five.” These leaders in question – Shukri Abu Baker, Mohammad El-Mezain, Ghassan Elashi, Mufid Abdulqader and Abdulrahman Odeh – were convicted in 2008 of funding Hamas, as they pitched in donations worth over $12 million to the militant group. Convicted on 108 counts, the quintet was charged for supporting terrorism, tax fraud and money laundering.

Cuomo slammed the lyrics dedicated to the five leaders a “new low,” adding “this is not a pro-Palestinian aid, this not humanitarian… This is him saying he loves – that is his own words — he loves the Holy Land Five, who are convicted, funders of Hamas. It’s disgusting and despicable.”

Zohran Mamdani’s anti-Trump vision lands him in trouble with MAGA

Mamdani once declared himself “Donald Trump’s worst nightmare as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in.” By doing so, he established his own political ideology as a counter to that of the US president. Perhaps, the most pointed example of their starkly different stances shows itself in the way they approach the conversation surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity.

While we already know where Trump stands on the debate, the New York Sun reported that the young Muslim Democrat has often voiced his support for “gender-affirming care.” If elected, he reportedly plans to spend $65 million on the agenda in addition to investigating New York hospitals that have stopped offering the services in light of the Republican leader coming back to office. On top of that, Mamdani even vowed to create an “Office of LGTBQIA+ Affairs” at City Hall.

As probably one of Trump’s most vocal allies, Laura Loomer took to her social media to fan the fire of negativity against the NY mayoral hopeful. “Enjoy your new Mayor, NYC. NYC has fallen,” she wrote on X, while offering a video of Mamdani’s candid interaction with “Gaydar Show” host Anania.

In addition to enthusiastically discussing bits of women-led pop culture, the mayoral candidate dug into topics like queer representation, trans erasure due to fears of the Trump administration and more.

At one point, Anania asked him, “Which queer group is currently being erased from all federal government websites?” Mamdani quickly shot back with the answer, “Trans people,” prompting Anania to drop the F-bomb on Donald Trump and everyone in his cabinet. They ultimately acknowledged how awkward it was for Mamdani to be standing beside them as they made the argument-inducing admission.

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To which, he outrightly responded, “I’m just vehemently opposing their policies because they are disgusting.” When discussing a potential ban on gay marriage, Zohran again came out and dropped a lighthearted diss: “Never trust the right.”

Anania then asked him, “How will gay people affordably get around New York if you’re elected?”

He replied, “At the core of every single proposal is to make the city affordable, whether it’s housing, freezing the rent, public transit, making buses fast and free or with universal childcare. If you think it’s a damn shame that New Yorkers can’t afford their housing, their childcare, their groceries, their public transit, we are the campaign that’s going to make sure that the New Yorkers who built the city can afford to keep calling this city their home.”

Billionaire New Yorkers threatening to flee the state if Mamdani is elected

The New York Post, an American media outlet whose news coverage tone often leans towards the right, has been vehemently writing against Mamdani’s potential election as the NYC mayor. In a recent op-ed, their Editorial Board wrote, “…maybe the city will be stuck with a mayor whose vision is nothing but unicorns, rainbows and the fantasies of the privileged progressive elite.”

Emerging as a voice for the ultra-rich, the agency reported that certain wealthy New Yorkers were already contemplating fleeing the state if the Indian-American Dems candidate is elected.

From the top, the relative political newcomer has seen Sen Bernie Sander and Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez emerge as his staunch supporters in this year’s mayoral run. Advocating for freezing rent costs, making city bus fare free, public child care for children under six and establishing city-owned grocery stores buying and selling at wholesale prices, his prime agenda is to pull down costs that “are crushing working people.”

Despite a short resume, Mamdani has even argued in favour of boosting minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030 by bringing up the corporate tax to 11.5%. With him in charge, the Big Apple residents earning over $1 million annually will be taxed at a flat 2% rate.

With that in mind, wealthy New Yorkers have branded Zohran Mamdani a big threat to their lifestyles. Grocery store magnate John Catsimatidis  and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman are some of these people who alerted The Free Press about many of NYC’s billionaires mulling over moving to Florida or other states as long as they are “welcomed as opposed to viewed as the enemy.”

“If Mamdani becomes the mayor of New York, you’re going to see the flight of businesses from New York… It only takes a handful of successful people to leave to decimate the city’s tax base,” said Ackman.

Meanwhile, The New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants revealed in an article last year that such high-profile money-people “go to great lengths not to get taxed as residents in the city.” They do so by churning out plans to spend less than 184 days per year there, which is also the threshold for one being considered a permanent resident, as per Common Dreams.Org.

Social scientist Justin Feldman also argued that the billionaires’ “threat is just a description of the status quo.” Noting how hordes of articles talk about the wealthy “strategically” spending only 182 days/year in NYC, he remarked that such people have been doing so for at least a few decades to avoid the state’s income tax.