Former Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer Divya Mittal has officially announced her entry into politics, declaring that her public service journey will begin in her home state while explicitly ruling out an affiliation with any political party. The decision follows weeks of widespread speculation after she resigned from the Indian Administrative Service, cutting short a nearly 13-year administrative career.
Mittal, a 2013-batch officer whose resignation was accepted in September, served in several high-profile administrative postings including District Magistrate in districts like Mirzapur and Deoria. She gained notable recognition for spearheading efforts to supply piped water to remote, underserved villages during her tenure in Mirzapur. Positioning herself firmly as the “voice of the people,” she stated that her political focus will center squarely on administrative accountability, justice, and resolving the everyday grievances of ordinary citizens.
The announcement arrives just months ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, lending extra weight to her independent political entry. Describing Uttar Pradesh as her “karmabhoomi,” Mittal emphasized that the state would serve as the foundational launchpad for her new chapter outside bureaucracy.
Shifting from Bureaucracy to Independent Politics
Addressing the public via a video message shared on social media, Mittal opened up about the deliberation behind her departure from government service and the path ahead. “Just a few days ago, I resigned from the IAS, and left many questions in your mind. 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. What next? With whom and from where?” she said.
When answering her own question regarding her next move, she declared: “The first question is what next? Politics. People told me that you have achieved everything; what else do you want to become? I want to become a voice, the voice of those people whose voice does not reach any office and, even if it reaches, is not heard. I want an account of the 80 years of my country’s independence.”
Rather than seeking shelter under an established political banner, Mittal stressed a grassroots-up approach. “We will have to change the politics. I will do politics, but not with anyone or any party. But with you all,” she stated, urging citizens from all walks of life—including teachers, farmers, students, doctors, laborers, and lawyers—to unite under a collective public participation model.
Key Governance Issues Driving Her Campaign
Drawing directly from her extensive administrative background, Mittal highlighted several systemic failures that she intends to tackle. Pitching her platform on strict accountability, she recounted an inspection of the water supply system in Lahuria Dah, where a local woman approached her asking for a school expansion beyond Class 5. Although Mittal examined the rules and approved the school, construction remained stalled three years later.
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“There was just no will. If there had been will, even the mountain would have given way, but if there had been no will, a single file became a mountain,” she remarked regarding administrative bottlenecks.
Beyond education infrastructure, Mittal pointed to persistent rural hardships, including poor road conditions, the absence of vital bridges, and recurring transit dangers during the monsoon season. She also turned her focus toward younger generations, highlighting anxieties surrounding examination paper leaks, protracted recruitment procedures, and the looming economic impact of artificial intelligence on future employment.
“Today, there is everything in our politics, there is power, there is noise, but there is no thinking. She expressed her concerns about the lack of thinking, speaking as a mother of two daughters worried about the future.”
Building a People-Centric Platform
According to Indian Masterminds, Mittal has framed her political ethos around four foundational principles: intention, justice, concern, and thinking. Rather than relying on traditional calculations involving caste, religion, muscle power, or vast financial resources, she intends to build a public platform dependent entirely on direct citizen engagement.
As her political footprint begins to take shape across Uttar Pradesh, Mittal has invited citizens seeking administrative transparency and institutional responsiveness to connect directly with her grassroots initiative.
