New York Mayor Zohar Mamdani has taken the oath of office and secrecy. Mamdani, 34, took the oath with her hand on the Quran on Thursday night.

 His wife, Rama Duwaji, held the Quran.

Mamdani is the first Muslim and youngest mayor in New York City history. He was formally sworn in by New York State Attorney General Lithia James. Shortly after, at 1 a.m., Bernie Sanders administered the oath of office again during a public ceremony. Mamdani has long considered Sanders his political mentor.   He was elected mayor on November 4. As the Democratic candidate, he campaigned on the slogan "New York is an accessible city for all."

Mamdani made the problems related to the livelihoods of the poor in New York City, where about 25 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, his campaign issue.

He put forward public welfare issues such as establishing an accessible grocery store on every street, stopping the increase in apartment rents, running free bus services, providing childcare, and building 200,000 new housing units.

Mamdani won more than 1 million votes (50.4 percent) in the election. His closest rival, independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, won 850,000 (41.6 percent) and Republican Curtis Silva won about 146,000 (7.1 percent) votes.

Personal life and political career

Mamdani, a Ugandan citizen of Indian origin, was born on October 18, 1991 in Kampala, Uganda, to a Muslim father and a Hindu mother. His father, Mohammed Mamdani, is a professor of anthropology, political science, and African studies at Columbia University.

Mamdani's mother, Mira Nair, is a famous filmmaker. She has directed famous films like Salaam Bombay, Mississippi Masala, and Namesake. Mamdani came to America with his family at the age of seven.

He graduated from Bronx High School of Science with a degree in Higher Education and Africana Studies from Bowdoin College in Maine. While in the Bronx, he was also a candidate for vice president in the student elections. However, he was defeated.

Since his student days, he has been advocating for equal rights and anti-war policies. Mamdani only became a US citizen in 2018.

Apart from politics, cricket and hip-hop music are his interests. He is known in the rap field by the moniker ‘Young Cardamom’. Under this name, he performed the song ‘Gaun Farkne Chhin’ with rapper HBA in Jinja, Uganda in 2016.

He worked as a music supervisor in the film ‘Queen of Katwi’ directed by Mira Nair, which was released in 2016. He was the third assistant director in this film and also appeared in a small role.

In 2019, he released the song ‘Nani’ under the moniker in memory of his maternal grandmother. He considers his grandmother an inspiration for happiness, wisdom, and affection.

Mamdani joined the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in 2017. That same year, he ran various campaigns in support of Khader El Yatim, a Palestinian-born candidate for the New York City Council.

However, Yatim was defeated in that election. Mamdani, who has been continuously involved in social and political campaigns, was elected to the New York State Assembly from District 36 in Queens City, New York, in 2021.

He gave slogans such as making the process of buying and renting real estate accessible to everyone, improving the conditions of the police and prisons, and bringing the service sector into public ownership.

Challenge to the rich, including President Trump

This time, US President Donald Trump opposed Mamdani on the eve of the election. He even warned on social media that if Mamdani wins the election, he will stop federal subsidies.

Similarly, a group of New York billionaires, including former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Bill Ackman, also opposed him.

It is estimated that his relationship with the billionaire has deteriorated due to the corporate tax issue announced by Mamdani. Mamdani plans to increase taxes on individuals and corporate entities with annual incomes of more than $ 1 million to implement his people-friendly programs.

His plan to stop the increase in housing rents seems to immediately benefit one million people who are suffering from high rents. Similarly, he has promised to build 200,000 permanent affordable apartments within the next decade. He has also promised to double the government's investment in preserving public housing.

'We need more affordable housing. "Most of the housing that has been built is out of reach of the working class, who need it the most," Mamdani said during the election campaign.

However, international media outlets have reported that Mamdani will face challenges in the coming days as the federal government must provide a large subsidy for affordable housing development in New York.