Five years ago, a bright, confident man navigated his way to the top of London City Hall. His heavyweight affirmation, “My name is Sadiq Khan and I’m the Mayor of London,” had resonated with South Asian strongholds scattered across the shadow of Big Ben. The sure-footed yet feather-light Mr Khan once again proved to his adversaries on Sunday that he has what it takes to dish power out! Despite enduring the pummelling from his Conservative opponent and a biting–some may even say, warlike–media, the new mayor came through a tighter-than-expected race! What a relief for millions praying for a respite from the gripes of the Conservatives. The diehard far-righters do not hold back when sharing a platform with extremists. However, just climbing to the top does not make Khan a winner. Though he may have retained his hot seat, the second term would prove to be much cumbersome of a challenge for his tigerish enthusiasm. The earlier stint saw the smooth Mayor roll deftly with his punches against Brexit. His stinging criticism of British prime minister, Boris Johnson, as well as a riveting feud with former US president, Donald Trump, put him on the centre stage as an unshakeable Muslim leader. He quickly emerged as a comfortable favourite because of his championship for a modern, tolerant London. Being a pro-business leader of a global metropolis, Khan favoured the development of small businesses. The start-up community, in particular, had a new sweetheart. But the same metropolis is in great peril! The last few months have not even seen a faint vestige of its former glory. As New York and Amsterdam jump back to life, the hub of the post-revolution world still awaits its recovery. Since Khan has already proclaimed his designs to “build a brighter, greener and more equal future,” he needs to double down on efforts to overcome the chronic housing shortage in the UK capital. More crucial is the need to bring the tourists back, send the capital back to work and inject the money raised there back into the system. Mr Khan cannot afford to act complacent. Not in 2021! Yes, his story is a shining inspiration for thousands of those with humble origins dreaming of making big into the world. But this working-class history cannot help him any further. To go down as a successful administrator, Mr Khan must prove his “big tent” politics one more time. Pushing the borough administrations to invigorate high streets and invest in jobs for suburban-ers, he might help win over the disastrous implications of COVID-19. It may be a tough balance to strike, but then again, all good decisions are hard! *