Zohran Kwame Mamdani was born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda, as the son of Indian-origin academic Mahmood Mamdani and acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair. At the age of five, he moved with his family to Cape Town, South Africa, and in 1998, at the age of seven, he immigrated to the United States, settling in New York City. He completed his early education in the New York public school system, graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, and earned his degree from Bowdoin College in Maine in 2014. Mamdani became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 2018.

After graduating from college, Mamdani worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counselor and as a musician. His entry into New York local politics came through his work as a campaign manager for Khader El-Yateem and Ross Barkan. A practicing Shia Muslim, Mamdani’s political identity has been closely tied to social justice, housing advocacy, and labor rights.

In 2020, Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for the New York State Assembly by defeating five-term incumbent Aravella Simotas. He was subsequently re-elected without opposition in both 2022 and 2024. From 2021 onward, he represented the 36th District in the New York State Assembly.

In October 2024, Mamdani announced his candidacy for Mayor of New York City in the 2025 election. His campaign centered on progressive and democratic-socialist policies, including free city buses, publicly funded childcare, municipally owned grocery stores, expanded LGBTQ rights, a rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments, a significant increase in affordable housing, comprehensive public safety reform, and a $30 per hour minimum wage by 2030. He also advocated higher taxes on corporations and individuals earning more than one million dollars annually.

Zohran Mamdani won the 2025 New York City mayoral election and is scheduled to assume office on January 1, 2026. His election marked several historic firsts: he became New York City’s first Muslim mayor, its first Asian mayor, its first Generation Y (Millennial) mayor, and the second mayor since David Dinkins to be associated with the Democratic Socialists of America.

In early 2025, Mamdani married Syrian-American artist Rama Duwaji, whom he met through the dating application Hinge. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America.

Zohran Mamdani is multilingual, speaking English fluently in addition to varying levels of Hindi-Urdu, Bengali, Spanish, and Arabic.

Source: Biyografiler.com