How 'communist' is Mamdani? Mom Mira Nair's $2m Chelsea loft raises eyebrows; his tax plan targets NYC's wealthy

Democratic socialist, and Trump-labelled “communist”, Zohran Mamdani is drawing fresh attention for his family’s property ties, including his mother Mira Nair ’s long-held $2 million Chelsea loft where his political journey quietly began.

The New York City mayoral candidate has shaped his political identity around pledges to overhaul the city's housing system, pushing for rent freezes, tax changes, and shifting resources from wealthier, predominantly white neighborhoods to lower-income areas in the outer boroughs.

The property in question

Award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair, known for acclaimed works like 'Monsoon Wedding, Salaam Bombay, and The Namesake', owned a luxury loft in Manhattan’s West Chelsea for over a decade, the New York Post reported.

During the years Nair owned the high-end property, her son Mamdani was beginning to build his political career, one that would focus on calls to shift property tax burdens from outer-borough homeowners onto Manhattan’s wealthiest neighborhoods.

The loft featured 12-foot ceilings, a sleek Schiffini kitchen, and a spa-like en-suite bathroom with a double glass shower.

She bought the corner unit at 420 W 25th St in 2008 for $1.375 million. Nair sold the apartment in 2019 for $1.45 million, according to the NY Post.

What does Mamdani own now?

The 33-year-old now lives in a rent-stabilized one-bedroom apartment in Queens. Comparable units in the area typically rent for around $2,500 per month. In addition to his Queens residence, Mamdani owns a 4-acre plot of land in Uganda, where he was born and lived until he was 7.

The Ugandan property, which he purchased in 2012, is valued between $150,000 and $250,000, according to his 2024 financial disclosure filed with the New York Legislative Ethics Commission, according to the NY Post.