(MENAFN) Voters in New York City are casting their ballots Tuesday in a closely watched mayoral election, according to reports. Polling stations opened at 6 a.m. local time (1100 GMT) and will close at 9 p.m. (0200 GMT Wednesday). Early voting, which ran from October 25 to November 2, set a new record with over 735,000 ballots cast, the New York City Board of Elections said.

At the center of the contest is Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, 34, born in Kampala, Uganda, to Indian parents and raised in New York from age seven. If elected, Mamdani would become the city’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor. An avowed democratic socialist, his campaign focuses on affordability and social services, promising initiatives such as free bus transportation, universal childcare, city-run grocery stores, rent-stabilized housing, and a plan to raise the minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030 from the current $16.50. He proposes funding these programs by raising the corporate tax rate to 11.5%—on par with neighboring New Jersey—and imposing a 2% income tax on those earning over $1 million annually.

Mamdani has also pledged that, should Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enter New York City, the NYPD would be ordered to arrest him, citing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

His main opponents include former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an Independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, a right-wing activist and radio host. Cuomo emphasizes his decades of public service, including leading the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Polling compiled by Real Clear Politics shows Mamdani holding a commanding lead, averaging 46.1%, compared with Cuomo at 31.8% and Sliwa at 16.3%. It remains uncertain whether Sliwa’s supporters will shift their support to Cuomo.

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