97. If London is a watercolor, New York is an oil painting 

Sir Peter Levin Shaffer, a playwright, screenwriter, and novelist, remarked: “If London is a watercolor, New York is an oil painting.”

This oil painting could be distorted. Its future appears uncertain as various forces pose threats.

At the moment, I hope that my fears are unfounded.

On Tuesday, 34-year-old Democrat candidate Zohran Mamdani was elected as the 111th mayor of New York City, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor. He defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

He won the election with more than 50 per cent of the vote. Cuomo came in second with just over 40 per cent, while Republican Curtis Sliwa received a little over seven per cent.

Mamdani is also the first South Asian mayor and the youngest mayor in more than a century.

Born in Uganda to Indian parents, Mamdani moved to New York City with his family at age seven and became a U.S. citizen in 2011, just seven years ago. 

Mamdani’s grassroots campaign gained momentum through the efforts of volunteers, a robust social media presence, and a compelling message of change, drawing in many young and first-time voters.

However, I am not happy. 

When I mentioned to a friend that Mamdani might not be a suitable option, he interrupted me by pointing out his Indian origin.

Does this mean I should celebrate when someone of Indian origin achieves such positions anywhere in the world? 

Sorry, I'm not part of that group.

Let us not forget that it seems there was a wave of Democratic wins across the country as Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger became Virginia’s first female governor, Mikie Sherrill defeated a Trump-backed opponent in New Jersey, and California approved Gavin.

Mamdani has made numerous promises that resonated with thousands of New Yorkers. That includes freezing rents for rent-stabilized units, expanding affordable housing, increasing the minimum wage to $30 an hour, making buses free, and raising taxes on the city’s wealthiest residents, among other policies.

Tall promises. As an economist, I refuse to accept that it is feasible in today's world for an establishment to arbitrarily raise taxes on the city’s wealthiest residents, especially when the wealthy have many options to relocate if they choose.

Including it in his election manifesto suggests that Mamdani has no understanding of how the exchequer functions and how revenue is generated. 

It only reveals his ignorance of economics and also suggests that his intentions are either vague or utterly foolish. New York is not America; it’s only a part of the country.

Only a day back, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, “Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, but Mamdani is not!”

While endorsing Cuomo for mayor, Trump said that if Mamdani were to win, it would be “highly unlikely” that the city would receive federal funds “other than the very minimum as required”.

Donald Trump has labeled Mamdani a “radical” and a “communist”. Elise Stefanik, a Republican and Trump supporter, has called Mamdani “a jihadist candidate for mayor.”

But being a Communist isn't a problem; however, applying this beautiful theory to every situation and bragging about it is considered radical. That is unacceptable because it poses a danger. 

My personal reason for disliking this man is that New York is not just an American city, but a city beloved by all of us. Here we need a considerate leader who rises above petty issues, commands genuine respect from citizens—not just votes of half of its population—and isn't merely a media creation. 

I firmly believe Mamdani is a media creation, and based on his election speeches, he appears completely unaware of how the world actually operates. 

Media outlets around the world promote such figures because vested interests support them. 

Arvind Kejriwal is an example.

The only aspects I agree with him on are his criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and his support for Palestinian rights. 

However, supporting Palestinian rights doesn’t mean that you ignore the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 innocent people. 

The offensive theme is the conflict between right and left-wingers.

I will demonstrate the point by citing two comments – 

Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, the first Muslim to be mayor of the city, said: “New Yorkers faced a clear choice – between hope and fear – and just like we’ve seen in London, hope won.

And a Labour MP, Luke Charters, said Mamdani has shown “that right-wing populism can be defeated, and Mamdani’s victory shows us how we can defeat right-wing populism here in the UK: by delivering real solutions, not empty slogans.”

A clash that should have no place in politics.

I hope, as feared by many like me, that Mamdani is not successful in destroying the city, and there is no Islamophobic attack on its citizens. 

The Americans and the global community wouldn’t tolerate any effort to ruin the beautiful oil painting.

A city about which Simone de Beauvoir said, “There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless.” 

We expect the same air even after the new Mayor’s term ends.  

Meanwhile, my formal and customary congratulations to Mr. Zohran Mamdani, who deserves them for his courage, efforts, and dreaming big.