Zohran Mamdani is an American politician of Indian descent who was born in Kampala, Uganda. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018 and has roots linked to the Khoja merchant-trader community with Gujarati Muslim heritage on his paternal side and Punjabi Hindu heritage on his maternal side. He is currently serving in New York and was elected as mayor-elect in 2025, making history as the first Muslim and the first Indian-origin leader of New York City. He is married to Rama Duwaji and is the son of notable figures Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan-Indian academic, and Mira Nair, an Indian-American filmmaker. Notes on the specifics you asked:
- Is he Indian? His family heritage includes Indian descent on both sides (Gujarati Muslim father and Punjabi Hindu mother), but he was born in Uganda and later naturalized as a U.S. citizen. So, while he has Indian ancestry, his nationality is American, and his birthplace is Uganda. He is not Indian by birth, but he has Indian heritage.
- Nationality: United States (naturalized citizen in 2018).
- Birthplace: Kampala, Uganda.
- Current role: Mayor-elect of New York City (as of 2025).
If you’d like, I can tailor this into a concise bio or compare his background with other Indian-origin American politicians.
