Mamdani’s victory revives age-old left v/s right debate in American politics

New York, Nov 5 (PTI) Zohran Mamdani’s stunning victory further deepened the divide between the American media and politics, as one section sees it as a mandate against President Donald Trump and the rise of Democratic Socialists, the other compares it with the ascent of Marxism.

Indian-descent democrat Mamdani defeated Trump-backed independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in the closely-watched battle for New York City Mayor.

Apart from Mamdani, his party colleague Mikie Sherrill was elected New Jersey governor, Abigail Spanberger became Virginia's governor, and India-born Ghazala Hashmi was elected as her deputy.

"It’s a reminder that when we come together around strong, forward-looking leaders who care about the issues that matter, we can win. We’ve still got plenty of work to do, but the future looks a little bit brighter," said Barack Obama, who was the first Black President of the US.

However, the victory has also put a spotlight on the rift within the Democrats. While some see him as the party's future, the other lot perceive his victory as the rise of the Democratic Socialists within the party, experts say.

“Mamdani and Cuomo represented two very different wings of a Democratic party whose popularity is waning nationally; one deeply unpopular and infuriatingly uninspiring, the other genuinely ambitious and exciting. New Yorkers have signalled whose vision for America it should put stock in,” The Guardian said in an article in the run-up to the election.

“Mamdani belongs to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which was founded in 1982 through the merger of several progressive movements and has now become the largest socialist organisation in the US,” C Raja Mohan, an expert on international affairs, wrote in an article published by The Indian Express on Wednesday.

“Mamdani shines a light on the current churn in US domestic politics and the unfolding contest for the political soul of America,” Raja Mohan added.

Meanwhile, the US media has raised a parallel debate following Mamadani’s victory.

A section of the media proclaimed Mamdani’s victory an onset of a new wing of democratic politics which is not only progressive, but also socialist, ambitious and exciting.

Media bigshots like The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal hailed Mamdani’s victory as the success of a democratic socialist.

While the Post sheds light on “How did a socialist with almost no governing experience become New York’s mayoral frontrunner?”, a headline from The New York Times said, “How Zohran Mamdani Beat Back New York’s Elite and Was Elected Mayor”.

“How Mamdani Went From Little-Known Socialist Lawmaker to NYC Mayor,” a Wall Street article headline read.

However, the other section of media, like Fox News and The New York Post perceived a challenge in Mamdani’s victory, calling it a “socialist experiment” and the “rise of Marxism” “Mamdani's socialist experiment comes to City Hall,” Fox Business headlines said. The New York Post called it the “rise of Marxism” with an animated picture of Mamdani holding the communist hammer and sickle.

Mamdani, 34, will be the first Muslim, the first Indian-origin, the first born in Africa, and the youngest one in more than a century when he becomes New York Mayor on January 1.

With Mamdani’s win, New York City and the US entered a new political and ideological era with the democratic socialist now at the helm of the citadel of capitalism.

Mamdani is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Indian-origin Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani.

He was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was 7. Mamdani became a naturalised US citizen only recently, in 2018. PTI RD ZH RD RD