Panjabi Descendant Mamdani Is NY Mayor; Democrat Panjabi-Sikhs Win US-wide

Uganda born, 34-year-old, Panjabi filmmaker Meera Nair and Gujarati Professor of population studies Mahmood Mamdani's Socialist Democrat’s son Zohran Mamdani has won the New York Mayoral elections. A three-term state assemblyman Zohran beat former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for a second time, shattering the political scion’s hopes of a comeback after his loss to Zohran in the June Democratic primary. In his campaign Zohran emphasized affordable food, housing, and transport. He was also up against Islamophobia and criticism over his pro-Gaza, anti-Israel stance. Mamdani’s victory has implications not just for New York City but for progressive movements worldwide. More than 2M voters cast their ballot in the 2025 election, the biggest turnout for a mayor’s race since 1969, suggesting that his message resonated deeply with a broad cross-section of New Yorkers. Zohranis NYC’s first Muslim mayor and first South Asian to hold the office. His father Mehmood's seminal study of population in Panjab had influenced family planning policies in South Asia and Africa in the later part of 20^th century. Also, in Norwich, Connecticut Democrat Swarnjit Singh Khalsa has become its first Sikh mayor. Originally from Jalandhar, Swarnjit arrived in the US in 2007. Democrat Aftab Pureval has been re-elected as the Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. Aftab is the son of a Panjabi father and a Tibetan refugee mother. He made history in 2021 as Cincinnati’s first Asian American mayor. The 43-year-old attorney and politician defeated Pastor and coffee shop owner Cory Bowman, the half-brother of US Vice President James David Vance, by a wide margin, securing 78% of the vote. Democrats Balvir Singh was re-elected to the State Assembly from District 7 (Burlington, New Jersey) and Ravi Singh Bhalla was elected to the New Jersey Assembly from the 32nd District (Jersey City and Hoboken). Also elected were Democrats Kim Singh (Mason City Council, Mason, Ohio) and Satwinder Kaur (Kent City Council Position No. 2, Kent, Washington), while Jas Jeet Singh was re-elected as a delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates (26th District, Virginia).