Reports have suggested that Zohran Mamdani’s triumph over former New York City mayor Andrew Cuomo in the June primary did not emerge solely from conventional campaigning or organic voter enthusiasm. Instead, a concentrated mobilisation effort among South Asian voters played a decisive role. According to a detailed investigation by the New York Post, this support network allegedly involved Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) and its affiliated political wing, which are accused of having connections to a Pakistani Marxist movement. The Post’s reporting claims that these groups substantially raised turnout within Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities, supplying a crucial electoral edge that enabled Mamdani to secure victory in ranked-choice voting. The turnout increase was notable: an 11 percent spike among Pakistani voters and a 13 percent rise among Bangladeshi voters compared to the last mayoral cycle, delivering a statistical cushion beyond Cuomo’s reach.
The New York Post linked key organisers assisting Mamdani with the Haqooq-e-Khalq Party (HKP), a left-wing political group based in Pakistan. Individuals named in the report were shown to have roles within DRUM and simultaneous presence in HKP-aligned spaces online. The publication highlighted that DRUM’s leadership previously praised dialogue with HKP figures, and noted that DRUM and DRUM Beats share leadership structure and address details. Campaign finance records also indicated that Mamdani’s campaign paid DRUM Beats roughly $20,000 during the primary period. Critics argue that this overlap raises questions about whether advocacy work crossed into political intervention, an area where nonprofit activity faces legal constraints in the United States.
Alongside in-person mobilisation, the digital outreach strategy intensified rapidly. Mamdani’s campaign witnessed an unprecedented expansion in online engagement, with social media numbers increasing at a pace rarely observed in local elections. Instagram followers grew from just over two hundred thousand to nearly three million within a month, and TikTok engagement surged dramatically. According to data examined by the Post, a large volume of online interaction originated from South Asian regions rather than domestic audiences. Comments such as “Let’s go bhai” appeared repeatedly across platforms, signalling a globalised enthusiasm and suggesting coordinated momentum beyond city borders.
These combined efforts — concentrated South Asian voter turnout in boroughs such as Queens and Brooklyn and an aggressive digital push — shaped the electoral terrain. In a ranked-choice contest decided by a margin of roughly 130,000 votes, the reported turnout increase alone among these demographic blocs would have been enough to flip the result. As New York moved toward the general election phase, the allegations sparked debates over grassroots organising, international political influence, and the boundaries of diaspora engagement in U.S. elections.
