Reverberations of Zohran Mamdani’s New York Mayoral campaign in far away Thiruvananthapuram-OxBig News Network

It is not often that an election in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation makes much news outside Kerala or even the capital. But the elections in 2020 were different as it culminated in the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]’s Arya Rajendran becoming the youngest Mayor of the Corporation at the age of 21, an event which got attention far and wide. Now, five years later, an old tweet on that election by another young person in the running to be the Mayor of New York has gone viral.

On Wednesday, after 33-year Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic Primary race defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo, the old tweet popped up again, with the CPI(M) also retweeting it and wishing “Congratulations @ZohranKMamdani! Hope to see you as New York Mayor”. Born to Indian parents, filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani, he is also set to make several firsts if he manages to win the New York Mayor’s post in the elections later this year, including becoming the first Muslim Mayor and first Indian American Mayor of the city.

His poll promises have also led him to be branded a “leftist” by some sections. Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, has pitched for affordable housing, government-run grocery stories, cheaper public transport and other steps to address the cost of living crisis. He promises to impose higher taxes on major corporations and the super rich to fund his initiatives. Along with this his unapologetic support to the Palestinian cause, has led to online attacks from the far right.

Such comments appeared even on Wednesday under the old tweet on the Thiruvananthapuram Mayor. Sharing an image of Ms.Rajendran’s oathtaking posted by the official handle of the CPI(M)‘s Puducherry committee, he had written “so, what kind of mayor does nyc need right now?” Some of the recent comments under the post include “No way they elected a communist”, “You are an enemy of the United States Constitution” and “McCarthyism needs to make a comeback”. Mamdani’s campaign, marked by forthright messaging using crisp video content, has grabbed eyeballs globally.