‘Logon Ke Dil Badal Gaye’: Zohran Mamdani Pledges 'New Era’ For New York At Mayoral Inauguration

Zohran Mamdani of the Democrats was publicly sworn in as the 112th mayor of New York City just after midnight on Thursday, marking the beginning of a new political chapter for the city centred on affordability and progressive reform.

Taking the oath on the steps of City Hall before thousands gathered in Lower Manhattan, Mamdani said the election reflected a deeper shift among New Yorkers. Recounting a conversation with a Pakistani woman named Samina, he said the campaign had nurtured something rare in politics. Quoting her words in Urdu, he told the crowd, “

Logon ke dil badal gaye hai (people’s hearts have changed).”

Mamdani said he was “humbled by the faith” voters had placed in him and pledged to serve all residents, including those who did

not support his candidacy. “If you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor,” he said. “Regardless of whether we agree, I will protect you, celebrate with you, mourn alongside you, and never hide from you.”

Positioning his leadership within a broader historical tradition, Mamdani invoked former mayors David Dinkins, Bill de Blasio and Fiorello La Guardia, saying each believed New York should belong to more than just the wealthy and well-connected.

Rejecting the idea of a divided city, Mamdani said New York should be understood as “eight and a half million cities,” shaped by different languages, faiths and histories. “The authors of this story will speak Pashto and Mandarin, Yiddish and Creole,” he said, adding that New Yorkers would worship in mosques, churches, synagogues, gurdwaras, mandirs and temples or not worship at all.

“I was elected as a democratic socialist, and I will govern as a democratic socialist,” Mamdani said, pushing back against critics who label such politics as radical. “What’s radical is a system that gives so much to so few and denies so many the basic necessities of life.”

Throughout his address, Mamdani stressed that lasting change would not come from City Hall alone. He urged residents to remain engaged beyond election night and described the victory as one that demands daily effort from citizens across the city.

Reflecting on long listening sessions held across New York, Mamdani said many residents felt disillusioned with politics but shared a belief that the moment required a new way of exercising power. “This city belongs to all who live in it,” he said, echoing language from South Africa’s Freedom Charter. “And together, we will tell a new story of our city.”