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14 OCTOBER 17, 2025

NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL ELECTION 2025

Mamdani’s Temple Visits Could be

a Game Changer in His Bid to Win Over New

York’s Hindu American Voters

As the leading candidate positions himself as the first Indian-American for NYC Mayor, Zohran Mamdani
seeks to appeal to all communities as some of his past remarks still shadow his campaign

authenticity and his ability to speak the
OUR BUREAU
language of shared values—seva (ser-
New York, NY vice), equality, and pluralism, in recent
times—could help him turn that skep-
n a striking display of outreach, ticism into cautious support.
New York City Mayoral frontrun- His outreach also aligns with his
Iner Zohran Mamdani this week broader effort to connect with the
visited two of the city’s oldest Hindu larger Indian-American diaspora in
temples in Flushing, Queens—an the city—attending cultural events,
effort widely seen as a move to build engaging with business associations,
bridges with New York’s sizable Hindu and speaking about shared immigrant
community. The visits on October 5, struggles. Progressive Indian-Ameri-
just a month before the election, signal cans, especially younger voters, have
Mamdani’s attempt to soften old ten- responded positively, praising his “in-
sions and present himself as a unifying clusive Indian identity” and his focus
figure—an Indian-American rooted on social justice and housing reform.
in both Hindu and Muslim traditions. For many Indian-Americans in
If elected, Mamdani would New York, this gesture represents a
become the first Indian-American moment of cultural resonance. Mam-
Mayor of New York City, a milestone dani’s mixed heritage—his father is
that underscores both his personal Ugandan-born and Muslim from Gu-
story and the political growth of the jarat, his mother Hindu from Delhi,
South Asian immigrant communities. world-famous filmmaker Mira Nair-
With endorsements from former Vice gives him a unique vantage point in
President Kamala Harris and New one of the most multicultural cities in
York Governor Kathy Hochul, Mam- the world. “My mother’s family is from
dani now leads a crowded field that Punjab, and I grew up with a sense
includes former Governor Andrew keenly that my own identity was tied
Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, to the stories and the memories of the
following current Mayor Eric Adams’ family that I was from, and it was my
withdrawal from the race. mother’s family and my mother who
Mamdani, visited BAPS Swam- introduced me to Hinduism,” Mam-
inarayan Temple and Sri Maha Val- dani said, addressing the gathering at
labha Ganapati Devasthanam, also the BAPS temple.
known as Ganesh Temple in Queens, “To be here with you, it is so special
NY, which is home to hundreds of that have paved the way for decades, and strategic significance. By visiting to me because when I meet the mem-
thousands of Indian immigrants and both in this Mandir and for the larg- temples and highlighting his maternal bers of this Mandir, I hear the names of
settlers. At the temples, Mamdani er Hindu community and the Indian heritage, Mamdani seeks to present my own family. When I’m meeting the
struck a deeply personal note. “I am community across the five boroughs of himself as a bridge between faiths and members of this mandir, I hear the sto-
proud that my mother’s family is Hin- New York City.” communities, embodying a pluralistic ries of my own family. I hear the sounds
du,” he told Sunil Hali, recalling how Mamdani’s Indian-American vision of New York. of my own family. And to be able to be
festivals like Raksha Bandhan, Di- identity has become central to his cam- Still, older and more conservative here with you to show that while we
wali, and Holi shaped his upbringing. paign. In a city where nearly 300,000 sections of the diaspora remain skepti- are all from different parts of the city,
Speaking at the BAPS temple, Mam- Indian-Americans live—many concen- cal, seeing him as too aligned with the in many ways, it is one larger story that
dani said, “I come here this evening to trated in Queens, the Bronx, and Long city’s left-wing progressives. Yet, po- we are all part of together,” he added.
honor the hard work of so many here Island—his outreach has symbolic litical analysts believe that Mamdani’s Continued on next page... >>

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