It was very much a Bollywood-ishtyle evening, not so much “Slumdog Millionaire", but, as Zohran Mamdani’s theme song for his victory suggested, “Dhoom". Dhoom, of course, means clamour or, even, noise. But taking a potshot at the US president himself, Mamdani asked Donald J. Trump, ironically, to “turn the volume up".

As if the boom of his victory was not loud enough for conservatives across the nation to wonder if “Dhoom" actually spells doom. Especially given that New York is the financial capital of the world. How ironic to have a declared socialist as its 111th mayor. How to explain this upsetting paradox?

It’s the economy, stupid, a statement from the highly successful, from the economic point of view, US president, Bill Clinton. In Mamdani’s case, the answer maybe it’s the prices, stupid.

Also, it’s the youth, stupid. No pun intended.

It is the young who, spurred and stirred by clever social media campaigns, stepped out to make a difference. In the long run, this empowerment and politicisation is good for democracy when apathy, in general, rules.

Which brings us to the root cause: anti-incumbency. Mamdani’s own party, not to mention the opposition, had no winnable candidate. The tainted former governor Andrew Cuomo, as Mamdani himself said, is so clearly a dynast, representing old, white privilege, that for him to have made a comeback would be nothing short of miraculous.

The Republicans, already on a........

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