Zohran Mamdani sworn in as NYC mayor at midnight ceremony at abandoned subway station

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Zohran Mamdani, 34-year-old democratic socialist, was officially sworn in as New York City’s 112th mayor just after the New Year began. The ceremony, held moments into January 1, symbolized the start of a new chapter in the city’s political leadership under his administration.

By taking office, Mamdani succeeded outgoing Mayor Eric Adams and made history as both the city’s second-youngest mayor and its first openly socialist leader.

Zohran Mamdani sworn in as NYC Mayor

The Queens state assemblyman was sworn-in as mayor by New York State Attorney General Letitia James during a ceremony held beneath City Hall Park in a grand, long-abandoned subway station.

He was joined by his wife, Rama Duwaji, and close family members, including his mother, Mira Nair, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani.

Prior to taking the oath, he signed the paperwork and paid the $9 filing fee in exact change to make it official. He described assuming office as 'the honor and a privilege of a lifetime.'

In brief remarks after taking his oath, Mamdani described the setting as "a testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, health and the legacy of our city." He also announced that Mike Flynn would serve as his Department of Transportation Commissioner.

Zohran Mamdani speaks to press outside of the 2025 National Action Network Thanksgiving Feeding at National Action Network’s House Of Justice on November 27, 2025 in New York City (Udo Salters Photography/Getty Images)

He explained that the indoor, vaulted subway stop was chosen in part because, “When Old City Hall Station first opened in 1904 — one of New York’s 28 original subway stations — it was a physical monument to a city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working peoples’ lives.”

Mamdani explained that the choice of the unusual venue was symbolic, saying that the ambition represented by the station “need not be a memory confined only to our past, nor must it be isolated only to the tunnels beneath City Hall; it will be the purpose of the administration fortunate enough to serve New Yorkers from the building above.”

Mamdani also took his midnight oath of office on a centuries-old Quran, marking the first time a New York City mayor has been sworn in using Islam’s holy text, according to the New York Times. According to the New York Library system he used his grandfather’s Quran and one that belonged to Arturo Schomburg, the Black writer and historian, for the two ceremonies.

Bernie Sanders to administer Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral oath at block-party

Mamdani’s low-key swearing-in at the subway station will be followed later Thursday afternoon by a festive block-party outside City Hall, where thousands are expected to gather to watch Sen. Bernie Sanders administer the oath to the new mayor once again.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is expected to deliver the opening remarks, "The transition team said in a statement, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez’s presence underscores the leaders central to the movement to usher in a new era for New York City — one focused on delivering an affordability agenda and reimagining what government can do for working people."

Mamdani also noted that 4,000 people were invited to the ceremony, but said, “We wanted to ensure that as we celebrated the beginning of our administration, it was a celebration that was not simply for the typical people who would be invited to an inauguration, but in fact, for everyone.”

Mamdani has promised to act quickly on key campaign priorities, such as offering universal childcare, creating city-run grocery stores, making bus rides free, and enforcing a rent freeze.