Zohran Mamdani just pulled off the political upset of the year in New York’s Democratic mayoral primary. It was a David and Goliath moment, powered by young, working-class New Yorkers fed up with the cost of living and political neglect. Mamdani’s rise signals a shift in urban politics – one that’s echoing far beyond New York.

In backing Mamdani, 33, a Muslim democratic socialist, voters chose representation that’s both lived and loud. New Yorkers chose someone to defeat former governor Andrew Cuomo, a political heir with a history of sexual harassment allegations. They chose someone who would help them afford to live in the city they love. Someone who TikToks speaking Hindi, clipping Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, and has Emily Ratajkowski wearing a “Hot Girls for Zohran” T-shirt. Someone who uses the term “genocide” when discussing the Middle East. Mamdani is upending politics, and it isn’t a surprise to me.

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani triumphed in the recent Democratic primary, defeating his older and more experienced opponent, Andrew Cuomo.Credit: Bloomberg

I’ll admit my bias. I’m a 28-year-old Indian Australian corporate lawyer with a lot of HECS debt and no real assets. I get called “Greg” once a fortnight because my name appears “Garg, Tushaar” in Outlook. So........

© The Age