Former Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer Divya Mittal announced her entry into politics on Tuesday, days after resigning from the administrative service. She said her journey would begin in Uttar Pradesh and that she would work with the people rather than align with any political party. The announcement was made in a video message.
She said that since leaving the IAS, many people had been asking what she planned to do next.
Not joining any party
The most notable part of the announcement is what she ruled out. Mittal has said she will not join any party and will begin an independent political journey in Uttar Pradesh. Her message was that she wants to do politics with the public, not with a party banner.
She said that politics today has power and noise but little thinking, and that she wants to hold that gap to account.
What she wants to change
Mittal described the kind of politics she wants through four ideas: intention, justice, concern and long-term thinking. She said her focus would be on issues affecting ordinary people, including poor rural infrastructure, unsafe roads, examination paper leaks and employment.
She also pointed to villages without roads and bridges, and to the difficulties children and families face during the monsoon. Several reports say these concerns come from her own years in administration, including stalled projects and unresolved land-related grievances.
Paper leaks and the worry over young people’s futures
Education and jobs took up a large part of her message. She described herself as a girl from an ordinary family for whom education opened doors. On paper leaks, she said students spend years preparing for competitive exams and that irregularities in the process undo their effort.
She also raised long-drawn recruitment processes and the effect of artificial intelligence on employment. As a mother of two daughters, she said she is anxious about the future children will inherit.
Politics without “money or muscle”
Mittal also spoke about the part money, muscle power and caste equations play in electoral politics. She framed her own entry as an attempt to work outside that pattern. She has not yet said what form her political work will take, whether that is a movement, an organisation or a run for office. She has also not named a constituency or an election.
Mittal is a 2013-batch IAS officer who announced her resignation on August 30, 2026, after nearly 13 years in service. Her resignation was accepted in September. She served as District Magistrate of Mirzapur and Deoria. She studied at IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore and worked abroad before joining the civil services. Reports also mention a stint at the Bareilly Development Authority.
