Who is Maya Handa? The strategist behind Zohran Mamdani’s historic New York mayoral win

According to a report by The New York Times, Handa was appointed Mamdani’s campaign manager in late July. She replaced Elle Bisgaard-Church, who had managed Mamdani’s primary campaign and later took on the role of chief adviser.

Bisgaard-Church told CNN in July that she was “incredibly proud of the historic campaign we ran in the primary.” She added, “While our focus now is singularly to ensure Zohran is elected as the next mayor of New York City, I’m excited to take on this new role and continue building toward the future.”

Her previous work and political network

Before joining Mamdani’s team, Handa managed the mayoral primary campaign of State Senator Zellnor Myrie, though he lost that bid. As reported by NYT, she also collaborated with major progressive figures including former New York Representative Jamaal Bowman and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Warren had unsuccessfully run for president in 2020, but her campaign inspired a new generation of young, progressive organisers, including Handa, who brought many of those lessons into local New York politics.

According to CNN, Handa has also worked with the Working Families Party, one of the most influential progressive movements in New York City. The group has been instrumental in shaping the city’s left-leaning policy agenda on housing, education, and climate.

Building Mamdani’s winning campaign

Mamdani’s win was not just about policy; it was about messaging. Experts credit his campaign’s success to a sharp, tech-driven digital strategy that resonated deeply with younger and more diverse voters.

As campaign manager, Handa helped craft a grassroots digital playbook that balanced cultural connection with political messaging. Mamdani’s team used playful Bollywood references, Instagram reels, and fan-generated content to reach millions of New Yorkers online.

According to Wired, social media feeds were “flooded with fancams, fan art, and videos created with Mamdani as well as for him.” These were often made by supporters who treated him with the same enthusiasm typically reserved for pop stars.

“They are using their experiences from online fandom to do politics,” Ashley Hinck, an associate professor at Xavier University, told the magazine. “Those are the skills to engage with culture and that means those are the skills we use to engage with politics.”

Handa’s understanding of how digital culture could be harnessed for political engagement proved central to Mamdani’s success.

What lies ahead

Following the victory, Mamdani named an all-female transition team led by prominent figures such as Lina Khan, Maria Torres-Springer, Grace Bonilla, Melanie Hartzog, and Elana Leopold.

In his post-election remarks, Mamdani thanked his team and supporters, saying he wanted “a transition that can meet the moment of preparing for January 1.”

As Mamdani steps into office, Maya Handa’s role in reshaping the city’s political narrative is likely to be remembered as one of the defining stories of this election. From managing losing campaigns to steering one of the most groundbreaking victories in New York’s history, she has become a new face of progressive strategy -- a quiet force behind a historic win.