'Logon Ke Dil Badal Gaye Hain': NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Recalls Conversation With Pak Aunty In Oath-Taking Speech; Video

New York City: Indian-origin politician Zohran Mamdani on Thursday (January 1) was sworn in as New York City's 112th mayor. He scripted history by becoming the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of the city. During his speech, the democratic socialist recalled his interaction with a Pakistani woman which changed his life.

“I spoke to a Pakistani aunty named Samina, who told me this movement had fostered something too rare: softness in people’s hearts,” Mamdani said. The NYC mayor, in his debut address, quoted Samina's words in Urdu. He further stated, "Logon ke dil badal gye hai (people’s hearts have changed)."

Video Of Mamdani's Speech:

During his speech, the NYC mayor thanked his parents and wife for his success. "Thank you to my parents, Mama and Baba, for raising me, for teaching me how to be in this world, and for having brought me to this city. Thank you to my family, from Kampala to Delhi. And thank you to my wife, Rama, for being my best friend, and for always showing me the beauty in everyday things," he said.

Thousands of Mamdani's supporters gathered in Lower Manhattan to witness his oath-taking ceremony. The supporters wore merchandise such as pins, hats and T-shirts emblazoned with Mamdani's name and images.

Mamdani opened his speech by saying, "My fellow New Yorkers, today begins a new era. I stand before you moved by the privilege of taking this sacred oath, humbled by the (0:38) faith that you have placed in me, and honored to serve as either your 111th or 112th mayor of New York City. But I do not stand alone. I stand alongside you, the tens of thousands of you gathered here in Lower Manhattan, warmed against the January chill by the resurgent flame of hope."

Mamdani had registered a decisive and historic win at the polls in November as he defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate and received US President Donald Trump's endorsement only on the eve of the election.