New York – Zohran Mamdani, 34, has been elected Mayor of New York.

The self-described democratic socialist was relatively unknown just months ago, and surged to victory with promises to tax millionaires to pay for expanded social programmes

Who is Zohran Mamdani ?

Born in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani moved to New York with his family aged seven. He attended the Bronx High School of Science and later earned a degree in Africana Studies from Bowdoin College, where he co-founded the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.

Mamdani would be the city’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor, and has referenced his identity as a way to build support across the diverse city, posting campaign videos of himself speaking Urdu and Spanish.

He has promised affordable housing, free public buses, rent freezes and universal childcare for children under five.

“This is a city where one in four of its people are living in poverty, a city where 500,000 kids go to sleep hungry every night,” he told the BBC at a recent event.

“And, ultimately, it’s a city that is in danger of losing that which it makes it so special.”

Congratulations amid Challenges

Congratulating Mamdani, former President of the US, Barack Obama, said  the future looked a little brighter after the results, albeit plenty of work is still to be done.

Independent senator Bernie Sanders described Mamdani’s win in New York as “one of the greatest political upsets in modern American history”.

Congratulating Mamdani, London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote  in a social media post, “New Yorkers faced a clear choice – between hope and fear – and just like we’ve seen in London – hope won. Huge congratulations to Zohran Mamdani on his historic campaign.”

Like Mamdani, Khan was the first Muslim mayor in his city’s history when he was elected in 2016.

According to the BBC, three challenges of the newly elected Mayor include delivering on his promises, taking incoming fire from Republicans, and working with the Democratic leadership