**Mumbai:** Nearly a month before the New York City mayoral elections, Indian-American politician Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic candidate, found himself at the center of a controversy following his visit to temples in the city.
Mamdani has faced criticism online after a picture surfaced showing him wearing shoes inside a temple. Interestingly, others in the same photo were barefoot. The image is reportedly from the Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam temple in New York City. Ahead of the mayoral polls, Mamdani visited two temples in the city as part of his campaign.
“I’m proud of my Hindu heritage, I’m proud to be someone who would be the first Muslim mayor of this city, and I’m proud to hold all of those things together,” Mamdani told NepYork, a New York-based news portal.
He added, “I am proud that I would be the first Indian-American mayor of this city. I am proud of the fact that my mother’s family is Hindu. And I grew up with a keen understanding, whilst myself being a Muslim, what Hinduism means. The stories that I learned, the tradition, the faith, the practices.”
### Netizens’ Reactions
The images sparked strong reactions on social media, with many criticizing Mamdani for wearing shoes inside the temple.
“Zohran Mamdani is not a Hindu. He may not have known that we do not wear shoes inside the temple. He clearly does not want to follow others who are with him and are not wearing shoes. It was the responsibility of this photo-op seeking group to demand he takes off his shoes and respects Hindu tradition and faith at least inside a temple,” wrote prominent columnist Sunanda Vashist.
Another user commented, “Comparing the group photo of Zohran Mamdani & others in Flushing temple with the below picture, one can easily understand that he was allowed to go deep inside the @nyganeshtemple with shoes. Neither the temple management seems to have appraised him of the Hindu temple customs, nor did he bother to ask and understand.”
However, some users pointed out that the location where Mamdani was standing was outside the temple proper. One X user noted, “You might not be a Hindu if you didn’t know that the dwaja stambha is outside of the temple.”
### Who Is Zohran Mamdani?
Zohran Mamdani gained significant attention earlier this year after winning the Democratic mayoral primary, defeating veteran politician Andrew Cuomo.
Born in Uganda to Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani, Zohran moved to New York at the age of seven. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018 and recently married a Syrian artist.
Before entering politics, Mamdani worked as a housing counselor, assisting low-income families in fighting eviction. In 2020, he was elected to the New York State Assembly, where he identifies as a “democratic socialist.”
As the mayoral race approaches, all eyes remain on Mamdani and how he navigates both his campaign and cultural expectations.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/not-a-hindu-zohran-mamdani-faces-flak-for-visiting-temple-in-shoes-during-new-york-city-mayoral-poll-campaign