Mamdani shattered barriers to become New York City’s first Muslim, first African-born, and youngest mayor since 1889, five years after he had taken note of Arya Rajendran becoming Thiruvananthapuram's mayor at the age of 21.
Published Nov 05, 2025 | 7:20 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 05, 2025 | 7:20 PM
Thiruvananthapuram City Mayor Arya Rajendran and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
Synopsis: When Arya Rajendran was elected the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram City five years ago, Zohran Mamdani took note and asked a question: So what kind of mayor does NYC need right now? New York has now answered the question.
Come 1 January 2026, Zohran Kwame Mamdani will be New York City’s first millennial mayor.
His election has an uncanny connection to Thiruvananthapuram city, which had the youngest mayor in India when Arya Rajendran was made the city’s first citizen at the age of 21.
At 34, Mamdani is not New York City’s youngest mayor; that credit goes to Hugh J Grant, who became the mayor at 31 in 1889.
Republicans pointed to Democrat Mamdani’s “tender” age during the campaign, saying his election would be a disaster. Still, New York stood by him.
Mamdani mentioned a “change” in one of his speeches. He was now 34, the first-term assemblyman from Queens said after celebrating his birthday on 18 October.
Rewind to 28 December 2020. A second-year B.Sc student of All Saints College in Kerala’s capital city, Arya Rajendran S, was sworn in as Thiruvananthapuram’s mayor. The world took note as Arya became the youngest mayor in India.
Far away, from a different time zone, a little-known Mamdani, too, noticed Arya. He re-tweeted a post by CPI(M) Puthucherry unit that celebrated — then the mayor-elect — Arya’s elevation.
“them: so what kind of mayor does nyc need right now?
me:”
The post in lower case was a subtle nod to the kind of youthful leadership Mamdani, the socialist, hoped to see in his own city.
them: so what kind of mayor does nyc need right now?
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) December 27, 2020
Mamdani’s post that re-tweeted Arya’s photographs was brief and partially silent. Five years later, as Arya’s term is coming to an end, Mamdani spoke what he had left unsaid years ago. “Turn up the volume,” he told US President Donald Trump in his victory speech that announced a new dawn for the working people of New York.
History has a sense of humour — and netizens remember everything.
On Christmas Day 2020, the CPI(M) Puducherry’s handle posted: “Comrade Arya Rajendran, age 21, new Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. She will be the youngest mayor of a major city in the world.”
Two days later, Mamdani, quote-tweeted it.
The internet wasn’t exactly kind. Many mocked Mamdani, calling him a “communist in disguise” and even joking that he’d “get deported soon”.
The tables have turned spectacularly in November 2025.
Mamdani shattered barriers to become New York City’s first Muslim, first African-born, and youngest mayor since 1889.
A self-proclaimed democratic socialist, he campaigned on bold promises: free bus rides, city-owned grocery stores, rent freezes, universal childcare, and higher taxes on millionaires.
Now, that old tweet has resurfaced — shared widely by amused netizens — as a poetic reminder of how dreams, ideals, and even a retweet can come full circle.
Two mayors, two cities, two worlds apart — yet connected by a single tweet.
Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran extended her heartfelt congratulations to Mamdani on being elected as the 111th Mayor of New York City and invited him to visit Thiruvananthapuram.
Your victory is a powerful testament to the relevance of the ideals of justice, equality, and brotherhood that the Left espouses, and how they serve as a source of hope and inspiration for people around the world,” she posted on Facebook.
“It is also a clear picture of people who care about the earth we live in and those around us – whether they are in Kerala or New York – choosing to govern with the people first. We cordially invite you to visit our Thiruvananthapuram and see firsthand Kerala’s own model of people-led planning. Congratulations! Solidarity!”
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
