Ex-IAS Officer Divya Mittal to Enter UP Politics, Rules Out Party Membership

Former Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer Divya Mittal has announced that she is entering politics, days after leaving the administrative service. The 2013-batch officer, whose resignation was accepted in September, said her political journey would begin in Uttar Pradesh and that she would not join any political party.

Mittal described Uttar Pradesh as her "karmabhoomi" and said the state would be the starting point of her new role. Her announcement comes months ahead of the state's Assembly elections, giving her decision added political significance.

In a video message, she said she had resigned from the IAS a few days earlier and had left many questions unanswered. "I did not answer for a few days because the work was huge and I was gathering courage, but today I have come to answer those questions," she said, adding that the first question was what she would do next. Her answer, she said, was politics.

Mittal said she wanted to become a voice for people whose concerns do not reach any office, or are not heard when they do. She framed her politics around accountability, justice and the issues of ordinary citizens, and said she wanted an account of the country's 80 years of independence.

She recalled an inspection of the water supply system in Lahuria Dah, where a woman from the village asked for a school beyond Class 5. Mittal said she had expected a request related to a pension or a house. After examining the rules, she approved the school, but said construction had still not begun three years later. "There was just no will," she said, adding that she wanted accountability for such delays.

She also pointed to the lack of roads and bridges in villages, poor road conditions and the difficulties faced by children and families during the monsoon. Among her other concerns were examination paper leaks, prolonged recruitment processes and the impact of artificial intelligence on employment. As a mother of two daughters, she said she worried about the future children would face.

"Today, there is everything in our politics, there is power, there is noise, but there is no thinking. I want an account of that lack of thinking," she said.

Mittal said meaningful political change could come only through collective public participation, and appealed to teachers, farmers, students, doctors, labourers and lawyers to join her effort. "We will have to change the politics. I will do politics, but not with anyone or any party. But with you all," she said, adding that she would fight from Uttar Pradesh.

During her years in the service, Mittal served as District Magistrate in districts including Mirzapur and Deoria. She was known for her work on providing piped water to remote villages in Mirzapur.