India, Nov. 5 -- The historic mayoral victory of Zohran Mamdani, 34, the first South Asian, Muslim, and youngest in a century to lead New York City, is resonating across the globe in Mumbai, where civic elections are around the corner.

Mamdani, the son of renowned Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan-Indian scholar Mahmood Mamdani, defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent after a scandal-marred tenure, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

His win, hailed as a triumph of progressive politics, centers on promises such as free childcare, a rent freeze, and free public buses- policies that appeal to working-class voters.

Critics have framed it as an outcome of so-called "identity politics", a sentiment th...