Logon ke dil badal gye: Zohran Mamdani to New Yorkers at mayoral inauguration
Mamdani, who ran his electoral campaign focusing on issues like rising rents, food prices, and everyday living costs, further emphasised good governance and the betterment of the common New Yorkers' lives during his inaugural speech as the 112th Mayor of New York City.
Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani was publicly sworn in as mayor of New York City’s 112th mayor just after midnight Thursday on the steps of City Hall, promising a new political direction focused on affordability and progressive reform.
Standing before thousands in Lower Manhattan, Mamdani said that something had changed. “This movement had fostered something too rare: softness in people’s hearts,” Mamdani said, recalling a conversation with a Pakistani woman named Samina. Quoting her words in Urdu, he added, “Logon ke dil badal gye hai (people’s hearts have changed).”
Mamdani added that he was “humbled by the faith” voters had placed in him and promised to govern for all New Yorkers, including those who did not support him. “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.”
Mamdani framed his leadership as part of a longer tradition, invoking former mayors David Dinkins, Bill de Blasio and Fiorello La Guardia, all of whom, he said, believed New York could belong to more than just the wealthy and well-connected.
CITY DEFINED BY LANGUAGES, FAITHS AND HISTORY
New York, he said, should not be defined by one city or two cities, but by “8 and a half million cities,” each shaped by different languages, faiths and histories.
“The authors of this story will speak Pashto and Mandarin, Yiddish and Creole,” he said. “They will pray in mosques, at shul, at church, at gurdwaras and mandirs and temples — and many will not pray at all.”
“I was elected as a Democratic socialist and I will govern as a Democratic socialist,” Mamdani said, rejecting criticism that such ideas were radical. “What’s radical is a system which gives so much to so few and denies so many people the basic necessities of life.”
Throughout the speech, Mamdani returned to the idea that change would not come from City Hall alone. He called on residents to stay engaged beyond election night and to see victory as “something that demands effort from each of us, every single day.”
Recalling long listening sessions with residents across the city, Mamdani said many felt betrayed by politics but shared a belief that the moment demanded a new approach to power.
“This city belongs to all who live in it,” he said, borrowing language from South Africa’s Freedom Charter. “And together, we will tell a new story of our city.”
MAMDANI SETS OUT PLAN TO TACKLE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
Newly sworn-in mayor moved quickly on his first day in office, signing a series of executive orders aimed at housing, tenant protection and resetting the structure of City Hall.
One executive order revives the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants as a central body to safeguard renters’ rights, hold landlords accountable and push city agencies to act quickly on unsafe or illegal housing conditions.
Two other executive orders create task forces to speed up housing construction. The LIFT task force will identify city-owned land suitable for housing, while the SPEED task force will work to cut red tape and permit delays that raise costs and slow development. Both task forces will report to the deputy mayor for housing and planning.
Mamdani also signed two additional executive orders shortly after taking office.
Before swearing in publicly, Mamdani quietly took the oath as the 112th Mayor of New York at the decommissioned subway station in Manhattan. Placing his hand on the Quran, as he took the oath, Mamdani said, "Happy New Year to New Yorkers, both inside this tunnel and above. This is truly an honour and a privilege of a lifetime.”
Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani was publicly sworn in as mayor of New York City’s 112th mayor just after midnight Thursday on the steps of City Hall, promising a new political direction focused on affordability and progressive reform.
Standing before thousands in Lower Manhattan, Mamdani said that something had changed. “This movement had fostered something too rare: softness in people’s hearts,” Mamdani said, recalling a conversation with a Pakistani woman named Samina. Quoting her words in Urdu, he added, “Logon ke dil badal gye hai (people’s hearts have changed).”
Mamdani added that he was “humbled by the faith” voters had placed in him and promised to govern for all New Yorkers, including those who did not support him. “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.”
Mamdani framed his leadership as part of a longer tradition, invoking former mayors David Dinkins, Bill de Blasio and Fiorello La Guardia, all of whom, he said, believed New York could belong to more than just the wealthy and well-connected.
CITY DEFINED BY LANGUAGES, FAITHS AND HISTORY
New York, he said, should not be defined by one city or two cities, but by “8 and a half million cities,” each shaped by different languages, faiths and histories.
“The authors of this story will speak Pashto and Mandarin, Yiddish and Creole,” he said. “They will pray in mosques, at shul, at church, at gurdwaras and mandirs and temples — and many will not pray at all.”
“I was elected as a Democratic socialist and I will govern as a Democratic socialist,” Mamdani said, rejecting criticism that such ideas were radical. “What’s radical is a system which gives so much to so few and denies so many people the basic necessities of life.”
Throughout the speech, Mamdani returned to the idea that change would not come from City Hall alone. He called on residents to stay engaged beyond election night and to see victory as “something that demands effort from each of us, every single day.”
Recalling long listening sessions with residents across the city, Mamdani said many felt betrayed by politics but shared a belief that the moment demanded a new approach to power.
“This city belongs to all who live in it,” he said, borrowing language from South Africa’s Freedom Charter. “And together, we will tell a new story of our city.”
MAMDANI SETS OUT PLAN TO TACKLE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
Newly sworn-in mayor moved quickly on his first day in office, signing a series of executive orders aimed at housing, tenant protection and resetting the structure of City Hall.
One executive order revives the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants as a central body to safeguard renters’ rights, hold landlords accountable and push city agencies to act quickly on unsafe or illegal housing conditions.
Two other executive orders create task forces to speed up housing construction. The LIFT task force will identify city-owned land suitable for housing, while the SPEED task force will work to cut red tape and permit delays that raise costs and slow development. Both task forces will report to the deputy mayor for housing and planning.
Mamdani also signed two additional executive orders shortly after taking office.
Before swearing in publicly, Mamdani quietly took the oath as the 112th Mayor of New York at the decommissioned subway station in Manhattan. Placing his hand on the Quran, as he took the oath, Mamdani said, "Happy New Year to New Yorkers, both inside this tunnel and above. This is truly an honour and a privilege of a lifetime.”